


I Danced Til Dusk

by Wildwalker



Category: Original Work
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Universe, Romance, Slow Build, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2018-05-28 22:03:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 90,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6347356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wildwalker/pseuds/Wildwalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jess is a troubled teen whose life seems to be going nowhere. He's made a lot of bad decisions in the past, and try as he might to do the right thing now, he just can't seem to outrun his history. But when he meets Kai, a lonely merman with a tragic past of his own, Jess finds a new sense of purpose in curing the merman of his loneliness. But were they meant to become more than just friends? The better question is, how long will Kai's past stay buried before it comes back to haunt him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello~ I hope you enjoy the first chapter of my book! This book has been long in the making, mostly because this is my second time writing it.
> 
> For those curious, the Falen accent most resembles a Scottish accent in sound. All characters and settings are purely fictional, though much of the history, cultural periods, and technological advances mirrors our own.

            Evening was approaching, and with the fading sunlight, the street markets of Old Town were packing up for the day. Jess glanced over the remaining stands as he walked, most of which boasted artwork or crafts made by the locals. Here at this table were wooden carvings of dolphins and whales known to visit this coastline, as well as a carving of a mermaid hoisting herself up on a rock. At another table, various paintings showed many of the marine life that was commonly found in the temperate ocean waters of this region, though again mermaids found their way amongst the porpoises and fish.

            Try as he might, it was hard to not find some depiction of mermaids as he looked around. Even many of the signs hanging over the doors or posted in front of restaurants, bars, and inns had the finned womanly creatures incorporated into their designs in some manner. Earlier upon stopping to examine a wind chime hanging outside one restaurant’s window, Jess had found shells cut and carved to look like mermaids dangling from the fine cords.

            It struck him as odd that in this modern age of science and technology that a town located so close to a major port city would still dedicate as much of its cultural identity to a mythological creature as much as it would to the dolphins and whales that attracted so many tourists – and scientists, as was the case with Jess’s father.

            As he continued to wander down the increasingly less populated street market, one stand caught his eye. The sign on the table declared the pendants and charms displayed to be made from the real scales of a mermaid. Jess eyed the pendants skeptically, picking up one such pendant cut into the shape of a heart and examining it. He expected to find that it was made of mother-of-pearl, but the white material lacked the texture and appearance that distinguished most pieces of mother-of-pearl. Indeed its sleek, faintly translucent surface resembled the scale of a fish!

            “What kind of fish is this from?” he asked the old woman sitting behind the table, turning the scale over in his hand and marveling at the size of it. “I’ve never seen scales as large as this before. The fish must have been massive! Did it put up much of a fight when it was caught?”

            “That it did, but it weren’t no fish,” the old woman corrected in a voice as salty as the sea, thick with the accent of one born and raised on the edges of the Falen Delta. “T’were a she-devil from the sea, lad. A mermaid.”

            Jess hummed an acknowledgement, though he did not believe the merchant’s tale. He continued to study the scale, as if staring at it would help him construct the rest of the fish in his mind’s eye. The woman leaned across the table to catch his attention again.

            “That there scale will keep ya safe from those she-devils, lad, as it protects my husband when he goes hunting fer the beasts,” she confided with the conspiratorial tone of one selling illicit goods on the black market.

            “How much?” Jess asked in the same low tone. He wasn’t interested in her superstitions, but with the merchants clearing their tables from the streets, he was afraid the convention his father was attending would not end soon enough for his father to join him to examine the scales.

            “Fer a fine lad like you, forty dollars!”

            “That’s way too much!” Jess exclaimed.

            “It’s nasty work hunting those she-devils! When yer the one doing the job, then ya can make yer own prices!” The woman quipped, leaning back in her seat to eye him expectantly.

            “Fine,” Jess huffed, rummaging in his pocket for the money, though he was sure the woman was asking for an inflated tourist price to con more money out of him. “Can I at least get a bag or something to carry it in?”

            “That cord there’s all ya need to carry it,” the woman sniffed as she took his money. “Ya’ve got a neck, don’tcha?”

            Jess sighed, fingering the simple brown cord before slipping the necklace over his head. He tucked the pendant under his shirt and bid the woman farewell, continuing on his walk down the street. But by now, only a couple tables remained, none of which interested him. Instead of turning back towards the inn, however, he continued walking until first the market, then the town came to an end.

            Walking out over the strip of sand and sparse coastal shrubbery, Jess’s step picked up speed as the sound of town life was overtaken by the rumble of the ocean. It didn’t take him long to reach the sandy cliffs. As the evening drew in on him, the sun was making its slow descent into the ocean, giving the waves their characteristic maroon tint for which this bay was known.

            Had he looked to his right, Jess could have watched the streetlights in Falen spring to life as the bustling port city created its own artificial sunlight to prolong the day for work. Its sprawling, industrious expanse dwarfed its sister, whose rough cliffs gave no place of sanctuary for trade ships, unlike Falen Cove whose gentle shoreline had given birth to the city’s industrial prosperity.

            Towering high over the Falen Delta which divided the two sister cities – if Old Town could even be called a city – the Delta Bridge created a man-made connection between Falen and Old Town. Bobbing about in the waves below it, the ferry was making its semi-hourly rounds from Falen to Old Town and back. Had Jess wanted to escape the small confines of Old Town to seek distraction during the long hours he spent alone while his father attended the convention, he could have ventured across the delta to Falen, but that idea lacked appeal for him.

            Instead, he spent much of his time by the sea, watching the rolling waves patiently in hopes of catching a glimpse of the elusive sea life that hid in their depths. It was an unrewarding activity, but Jess didn’t tire of it. He loved the sea and felt at home there, both on the shore and in the water. Though the waves were not ideal for surfing, Jess wished he had thought to bring the old surfboard along with a snorkel set to get a better look at the creatures beneath the waves. Instead it was collecting dust in the closet of the marine center where his father worked.

            Though no creatures of the sea deemed fit to display themselves before him, Jess continued his vigil. By now the last lip of sun had fully vanished under the waves, pulling with it a blanket of speckled indigo to veil its domain. As the day moved into twilight, something bobbed up among the waves in the corner of Jess’s eye. He swiveled his head to get a better look, but the thing submerged again, leaving him staring at the spot in hopes to see it resurface. After several minutes of waiting though, Jess concluded that the black thing – for its color had been what had alerted him to its presence among the now crimson waves – must have been some kind of sea bird, pursuing a fish no doubt. It was not an uncommon sight around these parts.

            Bird forgotten, Jess scanned the bay once more. It was getting late and he knew he should start heading back to the inn, but something compelled him to stay. It was as if the faint sea breeze that tousled the chestnut curls of his hair was coaxing him to stay. There was an almost whisper-like quality to the way it sounded, as if it were a breath from some distant person bearing a message, and he stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, straining to listen…

            “Jess!”

            He flinched as the whispering on the breeze was drowned out by the shout that announced the arrival of his father. He turned to see the man come trotting up, short, stout body puffing from the effort. When his father spotted his close proximity to the cliff’s edge, the man’s eyes bulged and he inhaled a deep breath, inflating like a puffer fish. Jess cringed, recognizing the signs of an impending scolding.

            “Jesse, you get away from that cliff this instant!” His father barked. “It’s dangerous!”

            “Yeah, yeah,” Jess sighed dismissively, doing as he was told. “It’s no big deal, Dad, I’m fine.”

            “I’m serious, Jesse!” His father shouted, then with a sudden sigh, he deflated. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’ve lost your mother, and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you too.”

            Jess cringed again, this time with shame. He hadn’t meant to make his father worry, and the reminder of his mother’s death brought a fresh sting of grief to his heart. His father seemed to wince at his own words too. For a moment, the two stood regarding each other like strangers in the uncomfortable silence that followed. And for a moment, they truly did feel like strangers, for while Jess still recognized his father’s face, he did not recognize the man he had become since his mother’s death. It almost seemed like the lighthearted dreamer of a man so enthused with passion for his work and family had died with his wife, leaving a weary and anxious ghost in his place.

            But his father wasn’t the only one changed by his mother’s death. As he moved into high school, life had become a burden to Jess, and he had sought escapes, many of which harmful, as often as he could from the reality in which his mother was not there to console him and share his burden. A scar at the corner of one eyebrow was proof of one such escape. There were other scars, too, the results of fights, sometimes armed fights, with other troubled teens. This scarred and troubled kid was not the son his mother would have raised him to be.

            “Sorry.” He didn’t know what he was apologizing for, causing his father worry or becoming the way he was now. If there was some way to bring back the lightheartedness and contentment they’d had when his mother was still alive, Jess would give anything to feel that sense of completion in his life again, instead of this eternal gaping hole filled with grief.

            “Let’s just head back to the inn,” his father sighed, turning back the way he’d come.

            They walked without speaking, the constant thunder of the ocean filling in the silence as they approached the twilight-stricken town. As the evening grew darker, Old Town was making its own artificial light. Here and there, groups of candles glowed in windows. Small children ran about with jars in their hands, collecting fireflies to light their bedrooms as they slept. Wrought iron lamp posts buzzed as one by one their light bulbs flickered until they gave off a steady glow of yellow light.

            “Not much like Fogwood, is it?” Jess’s father remarked as they walked down the warmly lit street.

            “No,” he replied, thinking of the town they called home. “It certainly lacks all the mist and clouds.”

            “Are you missing home yet?” his father asked, glancing at him.

            “A little,” Jess admitted. “I’ll be glad once we get home, though I’m not looking forward to that drive again. Please tell me we can make a few more rest stops this time.”

            “I’d really like to spend as little time on the road as possible, Jess,” his father sighed. “Too many rest stops and we’ll waste the whole day inside the car.”

            There wasn’t much he could do to argue with that, so Jess dropped the subject. He wasn’t fond of spending all day on the road either, but it would have been nice to stretch his legs a few more times on the eight hour drive back to Fogwood.

            They had reached the inn now. A sign hung limply over the doorway, naming the inn as the “Falen Inn and Pub.” As one of the original establishments of Old Town, the inn had kept the town’s name long after the younger city across the delta had risen to steal it. The inn was run by a middle-aged widow and her teenage son who was younger than Jess. He was impressed that a boy of fourteen, three years younger than himself, could take on so much responsibility.

            “Good eve, sirs,” the widow innkeeper greeted them as they entered.

            “Evening,” Jess’s father replied politely.

            “Would you gentlemen care fer a drink and a bite to eat?” she asked. Her accent was softer, more lulling than the merchant woman’s from earlier. “The pub serves food until nine.”

            “Nothing for me, thank you, but my son may be hungry,” his father said. “I think I’ll retire for the evening. Don’t get into any trouble, Jess.”

            Jess bristled, tight-lipped as his father walked away. What could he say in his defense? He had a bad reputation for courting trouble, and try as he might to turn his back on those bad habits, it seemed that he had a long way to go before his self-imposed rehabilitation would be recognized by everyone. Until then, he could only remain silent as he was treated with mistrust and disappointment by the people he should be striving to make proud.

            “I’m not that hungry,” Jess muttered, appetite smothered by his frustration.

            “Suit yourself, lad,” the innkeeper replied kindly. “Remember to lock your room if you decide to go out again and when you turn in fer the night, fer your safety.”

            “Is thievery common here?” Jess asked, having been too tired to bother asking when the innkeeper had mentioned the warning the previous night.

            “No, lad, it’s just a precaution,” the innkeeper assured with a gentle, motherly smile. “Folks around here think a locked door will protect you from mermaids.”

            Frowning in surprise, Jess mumbled his thanks before heading down the same hall as his father, thinking these people paid too much heed to mermaid superstition. He stopped at his own room, three doors ahead of his father’s. By the time they had arrived in Old Town late the evening before, the inn was nearly filled to capacity, only offering half a dozen or so tiny, single-bed rooms, the likes of which could not be shared without sleeping in the same bed. As this option had not appealed to father and son, they agreed to take two of the smallest remaining rooms.

            The room was modestly furnished, with a bed, a desk, a dresser, a nightstand, and a few lamps. There was a small closet and bathroom as well. The space felt cramped, especially with Jess’s suitcase taking up a large section of what little floor space there was in front of the dresser. Jess went to the wheeled duffle bag and opened it, intent on pulling out his pajamas and some clothes for tomorrow. He was reaching into the sock pocket to pull out a fresh pair when his fingers brushed against what felt like a plastic wrapper. Curious, he pulled all the socks out to see what he’d stored in the pocket.

            In the pocket, there lay a plastic tube, half squeezed empty, and a half a dozen square packets. One of the packets was torn open, empty. Bile rose in Jess’s throat as he looked down at the empty wrapper, and he felt a wave of shame and disgust with himself. All the bad decisions he’d made and the trouble they’d brought him, hadn’t he known where to draw the line before it’d come to this?

_“You better not have gotten her pregnant.”_

            Those had been the last words his father had grumbled after berating him for all the bad decisions he’d made. If Jess had been on the verge of a mental breakdown before he’d confessed the latest and worst of his troubles to his father, by the end of his father’s rant he was hardened with new purpose. Whether he’d known that a line was there or not, he had crossed it, and while none of the damage could be repaired, he was determined to not make the same mistakes ever again.

            Staring down at the lube and condoms, Jess considered throwing the things out. He didn’t need a reminder of the life he had left behind. But he also didn’t want the innkeeper to notice them in the bathroom waste bin when she made her rounds refreshing the rooms. They were evidence of something he wanted to forget, and allowing another person to stumble upon that evidence would make him uncomfortable in the innkeeper’s presence.

_And what if she gets the wrong idea and tells Dad?_ Paranoia pricked at him, making the unlikely possibility seem inevitable. And what he wanted even more than to forget his past was for his father to forget. As if such a thing could be forgotten.

            So he left them in that pocket to dispose of at another time, when the chances of someone unwittingly stumbling upon them were significantly lower. He shoved the socks in and backed away from the suitcase as if it would come to life and swallow him whole. Just then the innkeeper’s suggestion to visit the pub sounded much more tempting, if not to get something to eat, then to at least be out of this confined space with only his thoughts to keep him company.

            Fumbling around in the pocket of his jeans, Jess made sure that he had the hotel key. It was a traditional key, wrought from iron, another remnant from the inn’s origin. There was another one like it, he was sure, for the innkeeper had to have a key when she came to tidy the guests’ rooms while they were out during the day. Though he locked the door when he was not in the room, Jess didn’t bother to at night. He had nothing valuable to steal, and he doubted that anyone who still attempted to steal from his room would be expecting a wiry teen that knew how to throw a punch instead of one of the scientists here to attend the convention.

            Locking the door behind him, Jess made his way back up the hall, ducking his head to avoid the innkeeper’s eyes as he walked through the door connecting the pub to the inn’s lobby. The noise inside the pub was a welcome distraction. There were two televisions in the room, a large, older model set up on a stand at one corner of the room and a smaller, more modern flat screen mounted on the wall above the bar. Normally the channels would be set to the same generic sports channel that was airing the current major sport of the year. However, with the vast majority of the pub’s customers being nature scientists attending the convention, the channels had been changed to two different nature documentaries, one geography-based and the other featuring a recent deep-sea expedition.

            He made his way over to the bar and sat down. Davie, the innkeeper’s son, came hurrying over to take his order. The short, gangly boy looked small standing behind the bar’s counter, and once more Jess felt a glow of admiration for his determination to help his mother run the inn. He wondered vaguely how much time running the inn afforded him for schooling, and it occurred to him that it didn’t. The thought left him unsettled, but he cleared it away and ordered a plate of what the pub was serving for its special course that evening.

            “Anything to drink fer you, sir?” the boy asked in the high, fluty voice still belonging to a child.

            “No thanks,” Jess replied, and the boy scurried off.

            Sighing, Jess hunched over the countertop in his stool. Some alcohol would be nice right now. He’d only tasted alcohol less than a handful of times, and he didn’t like the taste, but he had liked how it had helped him forget about all his troubles for a while. But alcohol was from that time when he was on a path towards self-destruction, and one more beer smuggled to him from a friend’s fridge wasn’t worth ruining his recovery from that path.

            Apparently something about him had caught the attention of one of the pub’s other customers, for there was a scrape as the stool next to his was pulled out, and its new occupant gave him a prod on the shoulder. He raised his head curiously to eye the scientist that had taken up the spot beside him.

            “Say, ain’t you John Azure’s boy?” the scientist asked, a friendly grin plastered across his face. “Jeremy, wasn’t it?”

            “Jesse,” Jess corrected, amending quickly, “but I prefer Jess.”

            “Yeah, that’s it,” the scientist said, chuckling at his mistake. “Your old man and I worked on a research project a while back. He talked about this little boy, all long limbs and red curls. Said you were the spitting image of your mother, god bless her.”

            Jess hummed blandly, glad that he hadn’t affixed a fake smile to his lips at the start of the conversation. The mention of his mother never failed to chase any smiles from his face.

            “By the look of you, you ain’t no little boy anymore,” the man laughed. “Have you graduated high school yet?”

            “Nearly,” Jess replied. “We just started senior year.”

            “That’s good, that’s good,” the man said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Suppose you’ll be thinking about colleges soon. Have you got your heart set on a major yet?”

            “I’m thinking about studying marine biology like my dad.”

            At that moment, Davie scurried up to serve his food, and Jess turned to his plate, expecting that to be the end of the conversation. But his father’s old colleague had noticed his lack of a drink and took it upon himself to fix that.

            “Bring the boy a pop, on me,” the scientist instructed Davie. “What kind of pop do you like?”

            “Do you have any kind of orange soda?” Jess asked Davie.

            The boy nodded and hurried off again, and a moment later, Jess’s plate was accompanied by a glass bottle of the orange liquid. It must have been a local brand, for the label had a mermaid in the background. Jess examined it with a frown.

            “What’s up with all the mermaids around here?” Jess muttered, twisting off the cap to take a swig.

            “Don’t you know? The locals believe the waters around here are full of ‘em,” the scientist helpfully informed him. “‘Course we scientists know there ain’t no such thing as mermaids, but the locals insist that those creatures come up after midnight and lure men off to sea. They say they sing to ‘em, put ‘em in a kind of trance, and once their feet touch water, the monsters drag ‘em into the depths and devour ‘em.”

            “Well that’s morbid,” Jess stated bluntly as he raised the bottle to his lips. “Why do they put mermaids all over everything then? It’s like they’re worshiping them or something.”

            “Supposedly to remind people what’s out there, and remind ‘em to be careful about locking their doors at night,” the scientist remarked as Jess drank. “I don’t put much stock into it, but I keep my doors locked anyway. Got valuable equipment that I’d rather not have stolen.”

            There was a lull in the conversation finally, and Jess took this opportunity to eat. The pub’s special that night was a plate of baked macaroni and cheese, most likely made using an old family recipe. The mountainous heap of spiraled pasta was held together by gooey strings of melting cheddar, all coated in a creamy cheese sauce. The unceremonious heap wouldn’t have passed for a five-star meal, but the taste was rich and warm, soothing and homely. Jess savored every bite.

            “Say, how’s your old man doing lately?” the scientist asked as Jess finished off the last of his macaroni. “Saw him at the convention earlier, first time in years. He’s looking a bit gloomy since your mother’s passing, but I suppose grief can do that to a person. How long’s it been?”

            “Four years,” Jess responded flatly. He stared at his plate, not liking where this conversation was heading. Instead, he tried to distract himself, noticing all the little details on his now bare plate. The gooey remnants of cheese. A piece of bay leaf that had been cooked into the cheese sauce. A tiny blue mermaid that hung on a blue curl as part of the plate’s design.

            “Must be hard on you both,” the man said, adopting a sympathetic tone. “I remember my father walked out on my mother and me when I was about your age, or well, maybe younger. But father or mother, I say no kid should ever have to lose a parent. It ain’t right. Why, I remember my mother had a hell of a time raising me. Said I was always making a mess of something! I remember this one time...”

            Jess stiffened as the man proceeded to dive headfirst into recounting stories of his childhood. Here was a stranger trying to relate to him with stories of how he spent his afternoons digging up earthworms and watching birds. To think he had the audacity to relate such petty stories to all the fighting and trouble Jess had gone through in his grief!

            A coil of anger twisted hot and sharp in his gut as the man laughed at one of his own childhood tales. Nobody could relate to what he had gone through, and nobody should, especially if they were going to laugh at their own tragedies like this man was doing! An impulse to turn and punch this man in the jaw surfaced, but Jess squashed it down almost instantly, suddenly feeling a rope of sickening self-disgust closing around his throat. Was this what he had learned in his mother’s absence; that violence was an appropriate response to situations that made him uncomfortable?

            Abruptly Jess shoved himself out of his chair. He reached into his pocket and dropped all the money it contained on the counter, hardly caring that the handful of coins and two twenty dollar bills that fluttered out likely far exceeded the cost of his meal.

            “I need some air,” he choked out. The warmth of the pub had transformed to stiflingly hot, and the soft conversations now sounded uproarious to his ears. He wanted out of here, _needed_ to get out before he did something he regretted.

            He had run out the door before he fully comprehended what had just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter of my book! This book has been long in the making, mostly because this is my second time writing it. Please let me know what you think, either by commenting on here or messaging me on tumblr at http://idancedtildusk.tumblr.com/! All feedback is welcome, though if you wish to send negative feedback, please include an explanation so that I can learn from it. See you next chapter!
> 
> For those curious, the Falen accent most resembles a Scottish accent in sound. All characters and settings are purely fictional, though much of the history, cultural periods, and technological advances mirrors our own.


	2. Chapter 2

            The gust of cold air that slapped into his face came as a shock compared to the warmth of the pub. It left him coughing and gasping, fighting off the constrictive sensation he’d felt in the pub moments before. It only took him a moment to regain his breath, and then he was off again, walking hastily down the dark street.

            Twilight had fallen, but Jess picked his way down the streets of Old Town more so by the light of the waning moon than the softly glowing street lamps. Its nearly full face cast a bleaching pale light onto the sand-dusted roads. Jess made his way down these streets as easily as if this place was his home. Soon the road ended, and the stretch of sand leading to the cliffs began.

            The trek over the sand strip proved to be more challenging than the roads, but after stumbling through a few dunes, Jess finally found himself on the cliff’s edge. He inhaled deeply, drinking in the salted breeze as it whipped and tousled his curls. The waves rolled in below him, black as ink and tipped in silvery foam.

            Rolling his shoulders, he allowed all the tension to leave him, becoming as numb and insubstantial as the wind that blew in his face. He closed his eyes, and for a time, it felt as if he had truly ceased to exist. The wind picked up strength, and he swayed on the cliff’s edge. Alarm pulsed through him, and he took a step back to steady himself before inching closer to the edge again.

            What if he allowed himself to fall? It would be so simple, just to give into the will of the wind and let the ocean take him. What would his father think if he just disappeared one night? His father would grieve, of that he had no doubt, but would he remember how hard Jess was trying to get his life back on track? He didn’t know.

            What about his friends? Jess snorted. He barely had any friends left. Those that had been closest to him he’d succeeded in pushing away since his turn towards redemption. The longer he thought about it, the more he realized that he had no one left to live for. _Except Mom…_

            That thought alone pulled him away from the cliff’s edge. His mother would be so disappointed if he just gave up now. She’d want him to pick himself up, dust himself off, and kiss his own scrapes when she wasn’t around to do it herself. He’d already done a lot to disappoint her. Now wasn’t the time to give up.

            Safely backed away from the cliff’s edge, Jess turned and began walking along the cliff, not sure where he was heading but not wanting to return to the inn yet. A short slope in the sand lead him to a small cove. He walked up to the water’s edge. Even up close the water looked like ink. He was considering kicking his shoes and socks off to dip his toes in when he heard the telltale squeal of a porpoise.

            Looking up, he was just in time to see a streamline black figure breach the waves with a splash, followed quickly by a second and third porpoise. The trio arced and corkscrewed through the air while a fourth spyhopped backwards through the waves. Jess stared in fascination at the playful creatures. The Falen porpoise was a rare and timid creature, with only a couple dozen sightings reported. Such sightings were usually recorded at dawn or dusk, and the reports all invariably stated that the creatures displayed resting behaviors and would flee if disturbed.

            And Jess was beginning to see why. With the moon hanging high above them, the porpoises splashed and played with all the alertness of creatures adapted to nocturnal activity. It was a revolutionary discovery for the ongoing study of these rare porpoises, as no one had yet considered that they were nocturnal. Excitement surged through Jess, and he watched them avidly as they played.

_I think that one’s a male, though I can’t be sure just by looking._ Jess hypothesized, eyeing the smallest of the porpoises, which had a streak of lighter coloring down its black sides. _I think there are four here. Seems a bit small for a pod, but I’d need to find more pods to compare. Dad would want to see this, but there’s no telling how long it’ll take him to get down here, and the porpoises might be gone by then. I could try to film them with my phone though._

            As he was pulling his cell phone from his pocket, another porpoise launched itself into the air, and for a split second, Jess thought he saw a second tail in the shadow of the first. But the frilly fan of a fin didn’t look like that of a porpoise. A childish giggle was carried on the breeze, light and bell-like. Startled, Jess dropped his phone and looked around for its source, but there was no one. He was alone on the beach, save for the porpoises in the surf.

            Turning back to the porpoises, Jess resumed watching them. Something must have startled them, for the five porpoises had stopped their playing and were now bobbing in the waves, whistling and clicking at each other. Jess did a double take. A moment ago he’d counted four porpoises. His gaze swept over the porpoises, picking out the odd member.

            It didn’t look like a porpoise. He couldn’t discern a snout or blowhole to determine which direction the animal was facing. In fact, he couldn’t determine much about its appearance at all now that a scrap of cloud had drifted over the moon, only that it appeared distinctively not like a porpoise.

            The largest of the porpoises gave a shrill whistle, and all four porpoises and the not-porpoise ducked below the waves together. Jess scanned the surface, hoping they’d reappear, but they did not. He waited until he was certain that they had gone before turning away from the cove and trudging his way back towards the town.

            The trek back over the sand strip and through the town was colder than it had been earlier. In just an old t-shirt and torn jeans, the wind seemed to blow right through him, and he clutched and rubbed at his arms for warmth. Thankfully the low buildings provided a bit more shelter from the wind than the tussocks and shrubs that managed to take up root in the sand. All the town’s lights seemed to have gone out in the time that he’d spent by the sea, and incoming thicker swathes of clouds were blocking out the moonlight he’d used earlier.

            He was shivering by the time he got back to the inn. He pushed open the inn door, relishing the heat that greeted him from an open fireplace in the lobby. The innkeeper was sitting in one of the armchairs positioned near the fire, reading a book; she looked up when Jess entered, but he ignored her and headed for his room, despite the desire to stay and warm himself by the fire. He’d rather avoid unnecessary human contact right now.

            His room was not as pleasantly warm, unfortunately. Feeling the chill prickle at his skin again, he turned up the thermostat and shuffled towards the heating vents in what could be described as a poor imitation of a penguin waddle. When he was warm enough to move around freely, he stripped himself of his jeans and t-shirt, exchanging them for his standard sleepwear: a tank top that had stretched too much in its first wash to be used much for any function other than nightwear and an old pair of middle school gym shorts that still fit him, albeit a bit more snugly now.

            Peeling back the old quilt – probably another heirloom that had survived from the days of the inn’s beginning, handmade no doubt – Jess dived under its thick covering and squirmed to find a pocket of warmth in the cold sheets. By the time he settled into a comfortable position, the sheets were only moderately warmer. He sighed and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to drift until it could no longer hold him in the realm of consciousness.

 

_As I wander across the ocean_

_It is dark and vast and cold_

_The loneliness consumes me_

_Please come save my lonely soul_

 

            Jess awoke with a start, panting for air. He’d been having a nightmare of drowning in inky black waves, all while a beautiful woman swam around him, turning the dark water into a whirlpool to suck him down to the depths. She’d been singing to him too, and strangely it had made him feel calm, like he was somewhere far away from this perilous situation. Perhaps he was only imagining to be a drowning boy, and he was somewhere safe, no doubt cradled in a lover’s embrace while she sang to him.

            Breathing deeply, Jess allowed his erratic heartbeat to calm and his mind to clear before he took in his surroundings. His stabilizing heartbeat all but stopped when he realized that he was in the cove again. And this time he was not alone.

            There were men and boys on both sides of him, all lined up in a perfect row. And they were all hollow-eyed and vague, not quite awake, but not entirely asleep. _Did we all sleepwalk here?_ Jess wondered. But it was too bizarre to be so coincidental. Something had brought them there. By what means or for what purpose, he did not know.

            Somewhere down the line, there was a girl, and she was not hollow-eyed like the sleepwalkers. She was awake, like Jess, and she was frantically shaking the shoulders of a boy that Jess would guess was her twin. His chin-length blond curls looked like a shorter version of her own wavy tresses. Despite her shaking, however, the boy remained vacant-eyed and unresponsive. His arms hung limply by his sides, his legs just barely holding him up. His eyes were unblinking and trained on the sea.

            A fresh breeze picked up, and the girl’s shaking increased, her voice rising to a panicked pitch, but Jess could not hear her. Instead, he heard singing, but unlike in his dream, where one clear voice sang a melody with incomprehensible words, there was a whole chorus of voices. They blended together, all singing different songs so that only a few words could be picked out, and those were forgotten so quickly that Jess wasn’t sure he understood any part of it at all.

            A shiver ran through the row of a dozen boys and men. They all started forward with jerking movements towards the water. A feeling like electricity shot through Jess, locking his limbs as he took a few stiff steps forward. Alarmed, he tried to free himself from this forced movement and run for safety, but his body would not respond. The girl who’d been trying to shake her brother from his trance was now being dragged along with him as she tried in vain to dig her heals into the soft sand and pull him back. When a wave rolled in to wet her ankles, she looked out to sea and screamed.

            Strange figures were rising out of the surf. A breeze swept the last of the clouds away from the moon, revealing beings that ominously resembled humans. They had pale skin that reflected the moonlight in a sickening way. Hair of different colors hung like waterlogged curtains around their faces. Slender, sculpted jawlines and full lips gave the impression of womanliness, but Jess wasn’t sure the term was appropriate to describe these apparitions of the sea.

            The creatures opened their mouths, and out from their lips poured their songs. Singing all at once, their clear and rich voices created a grating uproar. Jess wished he could cover his ears to defend himself from all the noise, but his arms were paralyzed at his sides. One voice though was soft and gentle. It seemed to stand out from the rest, as if the others were being heard through a cottony screen. It eased his growing anxiety, coaxing him forward almost by his own will.

            From the corner of his eyes, Jess saw each man and boy moving at different paces to meet the parallel row of the female creatures. There were angry splashes as some of the women were left without a partner. Jess caught the sight of a scaly tail fin kicking up a spray of water, and he suddenly had a name for these creatures.

_Mermaids._

            The boy immediately to his right was the first to reach his mermaid partner. He looked to be younger than Jess and was much shorter than him; the water that only reached halfway up Jess’s torso was lapping at the younger boy’s shoulders. The mermaid inched closer until she could wind her arms over his shoulders, pressing her bare chest against him as she leaned up to whisper her song in his ear as she pulled him under. Bubbles billowed up to the surface, but there was no sign of a struggle, and the boy did not reappear.

            Before his horror had time to grow, another scream broke out from the girl. Jess swiveled his eyes to see that she was staring at two mermaids that had closed in on the same man and started to quarrel. One had come up behind the man and raised herself up onto one of his broad shoulders, shrieking in outrage as a second twined her hands in the fabric of the man’s shirt, yanking at him as if to shake off the first mermaid from his shoulder. The man stood unflinchingly still, unaware as the mermaids staked their claims until the weight of the creature on his shoulder unbalanced him. He toppled backwards into the water without a flail, and the quarrel was resolved to an unknown end in a cloud of crimson amidst the inky waves.

            More of the girl’s horrified screams filled the air, and if Jess could only regain control of his mouth, he would yell at her to abandon her brother and save herself, but it was already too late for that. A trio of dark shapes had honed in on her and were moving with predatory intent beneath the water while she was still pulling at her brother’s arm. When the first mermaid’s lunge at the twins tackled the boy into the water, the girl flailed backwards, but she was not as agile in the water as the mermaids. Jess closed his eyes, shuddering as another scream was brought to a spluttering stop amidst the crash of a body hitting the waves.

            Cold fingers brushed against his cheeks. His breathing stopped, his heart taking off at a panicked speed. Terror was dizzying, but he could not flinch or move away from the contact. The only movement he was afforded was a reflexive shiver. _This is it,_ he thought, _I’m going to die. I’m going to die. I’m going to die…! I’m going to…_

            He waited, barely able to breathe, for the mermaid to put her arms around him and drag him down. Time seemed to slow down to him, cruelly stretching the anguish of his waiting. Each second lasted for ages, and still he waited. But there were no matching cold arms to slide over his shoulders, only the cold but gentle stroke on his cheeks.

            Hesitantly he opened his eyes to thin slits. There was a face staring up at him, blurred by his narrowed vision. The details that he could make out were confusing. Unnaturally pale skin with thin, dark eyebrows furrowing worry lines into a pale forehead. Small, pale lips were turned down in a frown. Wide, dark eyes seemed to glow with an emotion that confused Jess. This mermaid was staring in him in what Jess could only interpret as concern.

            “Don’t be afraid,” the mermaid said.

            Her voice was soft, but the quality of it wasn’t what Jess would call womanly. Jess allowed his eyes to open further, taking in the delicate curve of her jaw and the jet black of her hair. She let go of his cheeks then, swimming in a slow circle around him. Her tail was just a darker shape in the already dark water, barely discernible. From the way she was circling him, Jess had the sickening feeling that she was sizing him up to eat.

            Instead of moving back to her place in front of him, she swam out a few paces away from him, looking him up and down. The water around her barely rose to her collarbone, and to Jess’s surprise, she did not appear to have a womanly chest, although it was bare. It was flat, like a boy’s, and Jess was beginning to notice that she did not really look like a woman at all. Despite the length of her dark hair and the delicate curves of her face, she looked very boyish, for lack of a better word.

            “You can speak if you want to,” the mermaid offered, and her voice reminded him of Davie’s – high, fluty, effeminate, but not as a result of gender; it was simply the higher pitched voice of a boy who had yet to mature.

            “Wh… What are you?” Jess asked. His voice barely rose above a breathless whisper.

            “I’m a merman,” the being responded, confirming what Jess had already begun to suspect but hadn’t the words to confirm.

            “Are you… real?” Jess asked a bit lamely. The question made him feel dumb, as if he truly thought his eyes were deceiving him. He wondered if he had chosen the wrong words to ask, but despite his flusteredness, the question felt right.

            In response, the merman moved closer until he could put both hands on Jess’s cheeks again. His terror returned, and without thinking he flinched. With that movement, Jess felt the trance that had held his limbs bound break. His muscles tensed with agitation, and his nerves screamed at him to run.

            “Don’t be afraid,” the merman murmured again, his thumbs drawing circles on Jess’s cheeks. Despite his fear, he felt himself relax, albeit warily. “I am as real as you are, and I will not hurt you.”

            For a moment, they stared into each other’s eyes. The merman’s eyes were an unnatural color, hard to discern in the moonlight. There was a vaguely violet hue to their irises. Jess tried to read them for any hint of deception, any warning that the merman was simply charming him until he was unaware and unprepared to defend himself from an attack. All he found was imploringness and a deep sense of longing.

            A fresh gust of sea breeze picked up, and Jess shivered, his hands moving to rub at the exposed goosebumps along his arms. The merman frowned, pulling away a pace to examine him again.

            “You can’t be very warm in those clothes,” the merman observed. “You’ll be warmer if you submerge more.”

            “I don’t want to,” Jess mumbled, but the cold forced him to comply. He tentatively stepped forward into deeper water, feeling it rise to blanket his shoulders in a bubble that was colder than the air, but at least it wasn’t chilled by the wind.

            “Is this the fashion boys wear these days?” the merman asked, inching closer until he could pluck at the sodden strap of Jess’s tank top. “It hardly seems appropriate for going out in.”

            “Well if I had expected to go for a late night swim in the ocean, I might have dressed differently,” Jess retorted.

            The merman giggled. The sound was light and childlike, and it brought a smile to the merman’s face that Jess found endearing, oddly enough. He couldn’t help but grin back, forgetting how strange this situation was, standing in the ocean talking to a being he would not have believed existed mere moments ago.

            “This is weird,” he remarked, a small chuckle slipping out. “It’s the middle of the night and I’m talking about fashion with a merman. Dad would never be able to believe this!”

            The merman opened his mouth to say something in response, but his jaw snapped shut as a second head popped up beside him. The mermaid that surfaced beside him was older, definitely female, and she was angry. She shot a glare at the younger merman, who withered in her presence.

            “What do you think you’re doing, Kai?” she hissed, not waiting for an answer. “You shouldn’t be playing with your food!”

            “I’m not going to eat him,” the merman protested.

            “Oh, you’re not?” the mermaid leered, casting an assessing look at Jess. “There are more mermaids here than men, not enough to go around, and some of us are still hungry.”

            “That’s not why we came here,” the merman argued, but his voice quivered as the mermaid fixed him with another glare.

            “Not every man drawn down to the sea by our songs is suitable for _that_ purpose, but that does not mean we can let the opportunity to feed go to waste,” she hissed. She turned to Jess, tensed, eyes narrowed, and Jess felt a chill run down his spine. “Fine, if you won’t have him, I will!”

            Before he could blink, the mermaid had lunged at him. She was upon him in a second. In the next second, the merman was upon her, one hand trying to pry one of her wrists from Jess’s shirt, the other tangled in her hair and yanking. She screamed in outrage, twisting and letting go of Jess as she turned on the merman. Something large and thick snapped against Jess’s knee – the mermaid’s tail, he guessed – and he floundered to keep his balance in the deep water. Another tail knocked into him, this time against his chest, and this time he was toppled into the water while the mermaid and merman quarreled above him.

            Startled by his sudden submersion, Jess gasped and water rushed into his mouth. He choked, flailing in panic as the salty fluid filled his lungs. He tried to struggle his way to the surface, but his way was blocked by the fight above him. He looked for another way, but the world around him was a confusing mess of darkness, human bodies, and fish tails. One of the tails snapped towards him, and he was too slow to avoid it. The blow made his head swim, and suddenly everything else was gone, overwhelmed by darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

            There wasn’t any moment he could recall where the darkness had transformed into burning red. One moment he was unconscious, the next he felt the pain of harsh sunlight lighting up his eyelids. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter and rolled onto his side to rub his knuckles into his eyes to scrub away the pain. Small granules scraped against his eyelids, and he blinked his eyes open to stare at the back of his hands. They were covered in sand.

            Blinking in perplexity, Jess looked around. Waking up on a beach would have been surprising enough. This beach though was not like most he was familiar with. The sand was not the muted gray of the beaches in Fogwood, and it lacked the reddish tinge that had leached into the sand around the Falen Delta from the erosion of the sandstone cliffs. This sand was a pale sunny yellow.

            Twisting around, Jess looked down towards where he heard the gentle rush of small waves upon the shore. The water was nearly clear, gradually darkening into a deeper and deeper shade of turquoise the farther out he looked. A breeze brushed past his cheek, causing a rustle above him, and he turned and stared at palm trees thick with bananas and coconuts. He had awoken on a tropical beach.

            There was a crunch in the sand behind him, the kind created by the shift of a body that’s been sitting in the sand for hours. Jess rolled over again to find the merman from the night before lying beside him. Alarm made his heart skip a beat, and his body twisted violently away. He tried to sit up, but the merman reached forward and grabbed him, holding him down. His heart began to pound. All his fears from the previous night came rushing back in a surge of adrenaline, and he writhed under the hands that held him.

            “Take it easy!” the merman exclaimed. “You’ll hurt yourself!”

            “Let go of me!” Jess shouted, clamping his hands around the merman’s small wrists.

            “I will if you just calm down,” the merman promised, already loosening his grip.

            Jess stopped struggling, remaining tense as the merman lifted his hands off him. But the moment he moved to sit up, those hands darted back to him, and he flinched.

            “Take it slowly,” the merman cautioned, hands hovering fretfully close. “You swallowed a lot of water last night and got hit on the head. You’re lucky you didn’t drown, but your body could still go into shock if you move too much too fast.”

            Under the merman’s attentive guidance, Jess rolled up into a sitting position. His head throbbed despite his cautious pace, making his vision swim and pulling a groan from his throat. He brought his knees up to lean against as he cradled his aching head in his hands and waited for the black spots to clear from his vision.

            When his head finally cleared, he looked around again. He was still on a tropical beach with a merman to keep him company. Not what he had expected to wake up to when he went to bed the previous night.

            “Where am I?” he asked.

            “We’re on Laroon Island,” the merman said.

            “But that’s half a day’s travel from the Falen Delta by boat alone!” Jess exclaimed, placing the island on a map in his head – roughly a three hour drive north along the Falen Coast and an additional two and a half hour boat ride west from the nearest port. “How’d we even get out here?”

            “I swam us out here,” the merman replied simply, as if the answer were obvious.

            This gave Jess pause as he turned to stare at the merman, only now really seeing him for the first time. His upper body, the part that was human, was lean. His features had a fragile cast to them, all slender arms and sharp angles, as if Jess could snap him into pieces if he wanted. He probably could.

            The long fishy tail was a different story. It was thick and strong. No doubt there were powerful swimming muscles under those sleek purple scales. The contrast between upper body and lower was striking. It looked like a strange fish had swallowed the boy’s legs and found itself stuck to a meal it was too small to consume, but instead of detaching itself from its would-be victim, the two had merged seamlessly into one, scales sprouting from where the boy’s hips should have begun.

            Jess blinked, and when he opened his eyes, he took the time to examine the merman’s face. He had a thin face with a smoothly curving jawline, sculpted by hunger. His eyes were large and childlike, and their color was a few shades lighter than the violet of his scales. They reminded Jess of crystals of amethyst. Thick bangs of coarse ebony hair hung in his face, the rest of his hair falling in a heavy curtain behind his shoulders. He looked young. Younger than Jess.

            “What are you staring at?” the merman asked, quirking his head.

            “Er, nothing,” Jess said, hastily averting his eyes.

            “Is it my tail?” the merman pressed, leaning close. “I wouldn’t think someone from Old Town would be surprised to see a merman, even if there aren’t any stories about mermen.”

            “I’m not from Old Town,” Jess corrected. “I was just visiting from Fogwood, and there aren’t any stories about mermaids or mermen there.”

            “Oh,” the merman said quietly, pausing a moment before asking, “Do you want to examine it?”

            Surprised, Jess nodded. The merman shifted, bringing his tail close enough for Jess to touch. He reached out, warily stroking over a few scales. They felt smooth and sleek with the slippery quality of a fish’s scales. Mystified, Jess ran his hand down the length of the merman’s tail until the scales abruptly ended and a membranous fin sprouted. The fin was lighter than the scales, the same color as the merman’s eyes, patterned with mulberry splotches. It looked thin and fragile, spread out in a fan with thin ribs of cartilage spaced regularly for structural support. After asking permission, he gently pinched the membrane between his fingers, testing its strength, and was surprised to find it was thicker than it looked.

            “It feels just like a fish,” Jess remarked, unsure of what more to say.

            The merman nodded, and there was an uncomfortable silence. Jess shuffled restlessly, digging his fingers into the sand until he thought of something to say.

            “My name’s Jess, if you were wondering,” he blurted out to fill the silence. “Do you have a name?”

            The merman blinked at him before smiling. “Kai,” he supplied simply.

            “Nice to meet you, Kai,” Jess said, thrusting his hand out and then blushed when he realized that handshakes might not be a normal custom among merpeople.

            To his relief, Kai reciprocated the handshake. His grip was light, and his small hand felt soft and cool to the touch. His fingers were slender as if they had the thin bones of a fish in them, and Jess marveled again at the contrast between delicate human features and strong fishy tail. The boy part of him didn’t appear to have a hint of fat on him, while the tail was thick with muscles. The more Jess thought about it, the more he began to see the tail as some kind of parasite, growing stronger while the boy grew malnourished.

            “Are all merpeople this skinny?” he asked without thinking.

            Kai recoiled from him, shifting back and turning away with his arms folded protectively around himself. The new position gave Jess a view from the side, and he now saw the faint outlines of ribs. The merman’s tail fin snapped closed like a fan folded up, and he seemed to shrink in on himself before Jess’s eyes.

            “Kai?” Jess asked cautiously, brow furrowed. He inched closer to the merman.

            “No,” Kai mumbled.

            “No what?” Jess coaxed.

            “Merpeople aren’t supposed to be this skinny,” he replied a little louder. His voice was sharp, edged with what Jess thought was resentment. “Fishing has been scarce lately and these days no one’s willing to share their catches. And I never was good at fishing.”

            “Are you telling me there’s not enough fish in the sea?” Jess hazarded a joke, cracking a tiny smile. He didn’t like how upset Kai was getting.

            “It’s not funny,” Kai hissed, and he glared at Jess with a look that held not anger or irritation, but a confusion of pleading and distress. “We’re so hungry that these days when we visit populated shores, we rarely hesitate to eat the men we lure down to the water.”

            “H-have you ever eaten anyone?” Jess asked nervously. Anxiety sent a shudder down his spine and turned his tongue to lead. To his immense relief, Kai shook his head, looking repulsed by the thought.

            “I would never stoop that low!” he shouted, incensed. “It’s wrong! That’s not what mermaids are supposed to use their songs for!”

            In a fit of temper, the merman slapped his tail down on the sand, kicking up a small wave. He was gasping, breathless with rage, and his nails dug into his arms so deeply that Jess was sure the resulting angry red marks would take hours to fade completely. But he didn’t think the merman was truly mad. The bulging of his eyes, the quiver of his lips, and the tremble of his shoulders all told Jess that he was fighting the urge to cry. And he was losing.

            Unsure of how to stop it, Jess watched as the merman’s face contorted and the first few tears began to bloom in his eyes. Kai struggled for a moment to contain himself before a choked sob slipped from his lips. Alarmed, Jess scooted closer and brought his arms up around the merman, hugging him gingerly at first, then tighter as the merman leaned into his embrace. His sobbing came in fits, as if he was still trying to contain it.

            Jess held the merman as his strangled gasps died down to quiet sniffling. Cautiously, he raised a hand to gently stroke Kai’s dark hair. It felt coarse under his touch, like thin strands of wire. Kai leaned into his touch, whether unconsciously or not, Jess couldn’t tell. The merman was mumbling under his breath.

            “What was that?” Jess asked softly.

            “I hate being a merman,” Kai mumbled just barely loud enough for Jess to hear him.

            “We don’t choose what we’re born as,” Jess mumbled back, feeling the words turn sour on his tongue as he felt the merman shiver and cringe in his arms, shaking his head in denial.

            The silence returned, draped heavily over them like a net of iron chains. They stayed together until muscles cramped from the stillness and the sun had moved lower overhead. Jess wondered how many hours had passed, how long they’d been there, how long it would be before his father realized he was missing. What will his father do when he finds out?

            “Am I ever going to see home again?” he murmured out loud as his thoughts carried him back to the foggy coastal town. There was a whimper in his arms, and Kai twisted to stare into his face.

            “Don’t go back just yet,” the merman whimpered. “I need- Please, I have no one.”

            Jess stared back, stupefied. The longer the merman waited for a response, the closer he looked to breaking down in tears again.

            “How would I even get back?” he pointed out, somehow feeling dumb for saying it, feeling like a child asking a question he already knew the answer to. His temples throbbed. The heat was getting to him.

            “Are you ok?” the merman asked, squirming to sit up straight again. “You don’t look so good.”

            A faint groan slipped through Jess’s lips. His vision was growing fuzzy around the edges, and the throbbing in his head was getting worse.

            “Too hot,” he murmured, though the words came out slurred as his lips stumbled over the outline of each syllable. Kai understood anyway.

            “Let’s get you to the water, it’ll help you cool off,” Kai suggested, shifting to help support his weight as Jess blinked the patches from his eyes.

            Jess nodded, closing his eyes until the throbbing subsided somewhat. He shifted to a crouch and tried to stand, but a weight held him down. Kai looked up at him apologetically.

            “I can’t stand up,” he pointed out, softly, like it was some secret flaw to be ashamed of. Jess felt foolish for not taking this into account before.

            “Do you want me to carry you?” he offered.

            “Can you manage it?” Kai asked.

            “I can try,” Jess said, shrugging out of Kai’s hold and getting to his feet before swooping down to scoop Kai up.

            The merman was both lighter and heavier than he expected. Kai’s human half was light like his fragile appearance suggested, but the thick tail was much heavier. To balance the weight, Jess had to carry the merman bridal style. Slowly he staggered towards the water. When the waves rolled up to meet his ankles, Kai fidgeted to free himself.

            “You can put me down now,” the merman said, and Jess lowered him to the water.

            A fresh wave rolled in, bearing Kai up as if he were a feather and carrying him out into deeper water, where he slid beneath the surface as easily as a knife through hot butter. Jess followed less gracefully, wading slowly in as waves pushed and pulled at his legs. It took him several yards to find where the shallow seafloor suddenly dipped, leaving him treading water as a school of silvery fish scattered in all directions at the sudden disturbance.

            The water was cool, but not as cold as the coastal bays he was used to, and Jess found that refreshing. He leaned back into the ocean’s embrace until he was floating on its surface, face turned up to the sun.

            A dark head popped up next to him, and Jess turned a lazy glance in its direction, expecting it to be Kai, but instead he was greeted with a faceful of water and a very inhuman squeal of laughter. He spluttered and flailed, taken off guard by the dolphin’s mock attack. The dolphin shrilled again before diving, and a moment later, Kai surfaced beside him.

            “I didn’t realize there were dolphins around here,” Jess commented, giving a little cough.

            “There’s a whole pod that comes through here sometimes,” Kai replied. “They’re friendly and playful, and sometimes they’ll help me catch fish.”

            “I see,” Jess said.

            They stayed there for a moment, quietly floating, and then Jess turned and sent a splash Kai’s way. The merman giggled, a childlike bell of a giggle, and he dived, splashing Jess with a flick of his tail. It proved more effective than Jess’s splash, dousing him in a wave. Coughing and shaking water from his hair, Jess grinned and gave chase.

            Hours passed in this way, with the two of them playing in the surf and the dolphins joining in all the fun. But one vigorous splashing doused Jess in a thick wave, sending salt water down his throat and burning his eyes and nose. Coughing, he waved his arm in surrender, and a moment later, Kai surfaced beside him.

            “I need a break,” Jess announced, wiping away some of the droplets. “Is there fresh water anywhere?”

            “There’s a river not far in that direction,” Kai replied obligingly, pointing south of the beach they’d been on.

            “Great. What about a camp?” Jess asked.

            Kai’s brows furrowed. “There’s nothing like that here.”

            “There’s no kind of shelter here?” Jess asked, surprised.

            “None that I have found,” Kai explained.

            “Then where are we going to sleep?” he asked with growing concern.

            “On the beach.”

            This answer surprised Jess. He thought about it for a moment. The island was small, from what he’d heard about it, and there weren’t any large animals. Would it be safe to stay out in the open? Probably more so than staying in the trees, Jess decided.

            “Ok then,” he said at last. “I’m heading back to shore now. Are you going to come with me?”

            The merman paused to think and shook his head. “I’ll stay in the water a bit longer.”

            Jess nodded in response and turned back to the beach, striking out with a breaststroke. It took him only a couple of minutes to find the shallows again, and soon he was on dry sand. He debated whether he wanted to go in search of fresh water first, but a pang in his stomach alerted him to how hungry he was.

            Looking around, Jess spotted clusters of bananas hanging from some of the trees that lined the beach. They were too high off the ground for him to reach them, but an outcropping of rock offered him a more advantageous position. Taking care not to scrape his bare feet on the rocks, he clambered up them until he could grab the bananas with ease. He ate the yellow fruit until his stomach was full.

            As Jess slid off his rock perch, a gust of wind picked up, rattling the trees. The force of it encouraged a ripe coconut to fall from its tree, landing with a thunk in the sand. This gave Jess an idea. He went over to the coconut and picked it up. Holding it close to his ear, he gave it a shake. Coconuts, if he recalled correctly, were full of water. The one in his hand, though, only offered a faint swishing. The other ripe coconuts that littered the beach yielded similar results, much to his disappointment.

            Jess licked his lips. His mouth was turning dry. _Maybe it’s not the ripe coconuts that have water in them._ He thought, looking up at the trees that they came from. _Maybe it’s the green ones that’re still up in the tree._ He eyed the unripened coconuts. They were green, imperfect round shapes, roughly the size of his head, and high up in the tall palms.

            Should he risk the climb to get one of the unripe coconuts? The river would be a safer choice. But how far away was it? And how far up the river would he have to travel before the water was completely free of salt? He was thirsty, and the coconuts would provide him with water right now. If he could climb to them.

            Making up his mind, Jess went to the nearest tree. It took a few attempts to develop a technique, but within minutes, he was scooting his way up the tree. The thin trunk wobbled and bent as he neared the top, but he was in no danger of it snapping under his weight. Gripping the trunk all the tighter with his arms and thighs, he pushed himself higher with his feet until he reached the top.

            Using one arm to anchor himself to the trunk, Jess reached out with his other arm and began to twist one of the unripe coconuts on its stem to weaken it. After a few twists, he gave it a yank, snapping the stem and sending the coconut falling. Grinning triumphantly, he allowed himself to slide down the trunk.

            The unripe coconut sounded full of liquid when he lifted it next to his ear to shake. Grinning in satisfaction, Jess searched the beach until he found a rock with a decent point to puncture his prize. The juice inside wasn’t as cool as he’d like, but it was refreshing, despite the less than pleasant taste.

            After drinking his fill of the coconut, Jess found a place near the banana trees to store the rest for later and made his way back to the ocean. By now the sun had ducked behind the island’s hills, and they only had a couple hours of daylight left. The sky was still blue, but it felt darker as the island’s shadow stretched out before him. The cerulean water, which had looked shallow and transparent with the sun overhead, now looked like a liquid mirror, deflecting any efforts to see below its surface.

            Out in the water, the merman was nowhere to be seen. Likewise, the dolphins had disappeared. Jess shivered. Could Kai have left him here, stranded and without a hope of possible rescue? The island was, after all, remote and visited only rarely by curious scientists. There was no telling when the next boat would be passing by.

            Jess shook his head. Why would Kai protect him last night, bring him all the way out here, and ask him to stay only to abandon him? It didn’t make sense. Wherever the merman had disappeared to, he’d just have to trust that Kai wouldn’t leave him there.

            As if his thoughts had summoned the merman, Kai popped up not far from the shore. The merman waved at him, and Jess waded out to meet him. As he drew near, Kai smiled and held up a fish.

            “It’s not much,” Kai said, “but I thought we could share this for dinner.”

            The fish was smaller than the length of Jess’s forearm, and while it might make a decent meal for one, shared between two people it wouldn’t go far. But knowing what Kai said about his fishing abilities, Jess had to appreciate the effort the merman must have made to catch it.

            “I’ll make a fire and we can roast it,” Jess replied. “Want a lift back to the beach?”

            Kai nodded, and Jess made a sling for him with his arms. Without hesitation, Kai went into them, his tail draped over one arm while the other supported his back. Entwining his fingers so that his arms made a basket, Jess lifted the merman and carried him back up to shore. He stopped near the trees and lowered Kai to the ground. The merman still held the fish in his lap.

            “Let’s make a fire, shall we?” Jess suggested, going to search the undergrowth for the things he’d need.

            From the foliage he collected a number of sticks, dried leaves, fibers from coconut shells, and a flat hunk of dry wood. Returning to Kai, Jess began by creating an indentation in the sand, which he filled with the leaves and surrounded with sticks, arranged in a teepee-like structure. He reserved one of the sticks, using it instead to grind one end back and forth into the dry hunk of wood. Kai watched with interest.

            Slowly a groove of wood shavings formed as he worked. Sweat beaded on Jess’s forehead, and his arms were beginning to burn, but he kept at it. Putting all his efforts into the act, he increased the pace, applying more pressure, until friction turned the wood shavings black. His efforts paid off when a tiny wisp of smoke began to rise from the shavings, and very carefully he transferred them to the coconut fibers. Gently, very gently, he blew into the nest of fibers until the fire ignited.

            The satisfaction of lighting a fire was quickly replaced by pain as the fire burned his fingertips, and reflexively he dropped it. Quick as lightning, Kai’s hands shot out, gathering up the burning fibers and moving them to Jess’s fire pit. For a moment, the flame flickered low, then it took in the dried leaves and grew. Jess fed it some sticks.

            “That was quick moving,” Jess commented, stirring the leaf-and-stick soup to spread the fire. “Now I won’t have to start over trying to light a new coal.”

            When Kai did not respond, he looked up to find the merman clasping his hands in a prayer-like gesture. His face was contorted with pain.

            “Are you hurt?” he exclaimed, dropping the stirring stick in alarm.

            Kai nodded, and Jess scooted closer, reaching out to pull Kai’s hands apart to look at the damage. Angry red burns marred the pale skin of his palms. Jess inhaled sharply at the sight.

            “What can I do?” he asked. “Is there medicine here? Any herbs we can make a salve from?”

            “Take me to the water,” Kai whispered. His voice was low and quivering.

            Feeling helpless and unable to do anything else, Jess obliged, lifting the merman from the sand and carrying him to the sea. Kai felt so small in his arms, so delicate. It surprised him how much it pained him to see Kai hurting.

            Finally when he reached the water, he lowered the merman down to it. Kai reached out to it, letting the incoming waves roll over his palms. Jess watched in concern as the merman cringed, a pained expression on his face, before he began to relax. Kai breathed a shaky sigh of relief and held his hands up for Jess to see. The breath caught in his throat. The burns were gone without even a hint of a scar. Kai’s hands were healed.

            “How?” Jess asked, incredulous.

            “The ocean is more than just where I live,” Kai explained. “It’s like a second heart to me, and its waters can heal any wound.”

            Jess stared at him in amazement. It didn’t sound possible, and yet the proof lay in Kai’s hands. His mouth opened and closed, words dying before they could reach the surface. Kai gave him a tiny smile.

            “Let’s head back to the fire.”

            Still stunned into wordlessness, Jess nodded and picked the merman up again. The fire had dwindled while they were away, and Jess set about feeding it fresh wood to bring it back to life. With one of the remaining sticks, he took Kai’s fish, spitted it, and held it over the fire like a marshmallow. It reminded him of the many times he’d gone camping with his best friend’s family in the foothills that enclosed Fogwood. He frowned at the thought.

            “Is something wrong?” Kai asked, leaning towards him with a look of concern on his face.

            “I miss home,” Jess murmured. “My best friend’s dad taught me how to do this stuff, make a fire and roast a fish. It makes me miss her.”

            “Your best friend?”

            Jess nodded. “It makes me miss a lot of things. You wouldn’t understand.”

            Tentatively, Kai put a hand out to lay over one of Jess’s. The touch was as light as a butterfly landing upon it. Blue eyes, haunted by memories, met amethyst ones filled with empathy.

            “I understand perfectly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up about future updates: Starting after next week's update, I will be stretching out the updates to every other week instead of every week. Just so that you're aware.


	4. Chapter 4

            The next morning, Jess woke to the sound of unfamiliar birdsong. The sounds were rich and vibrant. Above him, the sky was its palest shade of blue. As he became more aware of his surroundings, Jess realized that there was another body curled against his side.

            Sitting up, he looked down to see Kai fast asleep in the sand beside him. The merman looked serene, his pale form complemented by the pale sand beneath him. He reminded Jess of an angel with his complexion, though his tail bespoke something else. The purple thing looked so unnatural attached to the boy that Jess could hardly comprehend that they were part of the same being, not two separate ones.

            Averting his eyes from the sight, Jess looked out across the water. The surface had that liquid glass appearance like the previous evening, tinged with orange from the imminent sunrise. Such a sight would be a thing of beauty in the eyes of someone who could appreciate it. Jess was not that someone, but it struck him that Kai might be.

_I wonder if Kai has ever seen a sunrise before._

            With that thought in mind, Jess reached out and shook the merman gently. Kai stirred with a drowsy murmur, thick eyelashes fluttering as his eyes opened. The merman stretched and yawned, looking up at him with inquisitive, if still half asleep eyes.

            “I thought you might like to see a sunrise,” he said, feeling a small smile ghost over his lips.

            Instead of replying, Kai smiled brightly at him and turned his eyes out to where the sun’s amber edge could be seen above the curve of the horizon. Jess tried to do the same, but he found himself distracted by watching Kai. The fresh dawn light was tinging Kai’s skin orange, and he seemed utterly at peace in the moment.

            After a moment, Kai closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath before turning back to Jess with another smile.

            “Thank you,” the merman said with such sincerity that Jess felt a touch of bashfulness.

            “H-have you ever seen a sunrise before?” he asked to clear the air.

            Kai nodded. “This is the first one I’ve seen in a while though.”

            “How long?” Jess couldn’t help asking out of curiosity.

            “Twenty years, I think? Maybe more,” Kai replied, tilting his head thoughtfully.

            “Seriously?” Jess blurted, taken aback. “You don’t look a day over fifteen!”

            “Mermen don’t age,” Kai said, his voice going flat.

            Jess stopped himself before he could say anything more. A troublesome shadow seemed to have fallen over Kai’s face. Not knowing what to do to cheer the merman up, he turned his attention out towards the water once more. By now the sun had risen a few inches above the horizon. Out in the sea, two dark figures were hopping and frolicking among the waves.

            “Do you perhaps wanna go for a swim?” Jess suggested finally, watching the dolphins play.

            There was silence for a long moment, and then, “Sure.”

            Smiling softly, Jess stood up and offered Kai his arms. When the merman scooted into them, placing his own arms around Jess’s shoulders, Jess lifted him from the ground and carried him down the beach. The water felt cool at this early hour, and he found himself shivering without the warmth of the sun on his skin. Kai’s small form seemed as cool as the water lapping at his calves.

            Once they were waist deep, Jess let Kai go, watching as the merman slid smoothly into the water. His tail flicked as he dove, more graceful than a champion diver, barely kicking up a splash. Far less graceful, Jess struck out with a breaststroke. The crisp cool of the water would not deter him from the swim.

            It was a leisurely swim, soothing and quiet with only the sounds of the distant birds to disturb the silence, and Jess could almost believe he was alone. The dolphins had stopped their play, and if Kai had resurfaced at any point, he wasn’t aware of it. Rolling onto his back, he allowed the ocean to float him on its surface.

            In front of him towered the island with its steep hills covered in trees. He wondered what creatures inhabited those hills. Certainly no reports of large predators had ever reached his ears, or his father’s for that matter, but few reports really existed about the island and its inhabitants. An itch to explore began to set in.

            Making up his mind, Jess shifted to treading water, looking around for Kai as he did so. The merman was nowhere in sight. Not wanting to leave Kai alone in the water without telling him of his departure, Jess tried calling out to the merman. This worked better than he anticipated, and a moment later, Kai surfaced beside him.

            “I’d like to check out the island if you don’t mind,” he informed the merman. He didn’t want to add that Kai seemed to need some alone time after their earlier conversation.

            “What for?” Kai asked, tilting his head curiously. Already he seemed more himself; the swim must be doing him some good.

            “Well, my dad’s a scientist, so we get to hear about lots of new scientific discoveries and investigations,” Jess explained. “But not many people have explored this island, so no one really knows a whole lot about it. I figure if I’m going to be here for a few days, maybe I should take a look around. For science. Will you be ok if I’m gone for a bit?”

            “Why wouldn’t I be?” Kai pointed out with a small smile.

            “Ok, I guess I’ll see you later then,” Jess said, offering a grin in return as Kai disappeared under the surface once more.

            Taking a breath, Jess struck out again for the shore. A cool breeze greeted him as he waded out of the water, making him shiver in his soaking clothes, and he wished he had something dry to change into. The sun, thankfully, was beginning to share its heat with the world, warming him once the breeze had passed.

            Upon reaching the edge of the jungle, Jess stopped to take a drink from the coconut he’d hidden in the shade of the rocks the previous day. It was nearly empty now, and the next time he drank from it would finish what was left. _I’ll have to get another one or perhaps find that river Kai mentioned._ He thought.

            With his thirst for water sated, he set out to satisfy his thirst for adventure. The going was easy at first, but the deeper in he ventured, the thicker the undergrowth became. Tree roots and vines often made him stumble, and at one point he was very certain he felt the slither of a reptile crawl over one of his bare feet, but it had disappeared into the brush before he could get a good look at it.

            “Well, there’s bound to be some animals living here,” he muttered to himself, trying to calm his growing sense of unease. “There are birds here, so it only makes sense there’s something that eats birds here. Probably some type of snake, maybe a constrictor.”

            Every now and then, the thickness of the undergrowth was parted by massive outcroppings of boulders. Their stark gray forms reminded Jess of whales breaching from the sea, and he moved closer to inspect them. From their rough texture and gray coloring, he deduced that these were made of basalt. He could practically hear the words of his science teacher lecturing about this particular type of rock.

_“Here we have pictured on the board a piece of basalt. Now, if everyone did their homework last night, you all should know that basalt is classified as an igneous rock because it…?”_

_“Forms from cooling lava.”_

_“Right, which as everyone knows, comes from-”_

            “A volcano,” Jess said out loud, in a jungle many miles from any classroom.

            Moving past the rocks, Jess continued on his trek. He was sure that a few hours had passed by now, judging from how warm the moist jungle air had become, though the canopy of palm leaves shaded most of the ground. Here and there, flecks of sunlight could be seen dancing over the ground with the movement of the leaves above. He wondered how far from the beach he’d come.

            A sudden thought burst into his head that made him stop in his tracks.

_How am I going to find my way back?_

            He hadn’t been keeping track of which direction he’d been traveling. He hadn’t really been moving in a straight line either; the thickness of the undergrowth in some areas had forced him to take detours to get around it. And now, even with the sun rising higher in the sky, he couldn’t see past the thick canopy overhead to gauge which direction to go from the sun’s trajectory.

            A shiver ran down Jess’s spine. If he became lost in this jungle, there wasn’t a soul on Earth who could help him. His father wouldn’t have the first clue where to look, and Kai, the only being who knew he was out here, would never make it through this foliage with his tail.

            Feeling his panic mounting, Jess forced himself to take a few deep breaths. “Calm down, Jess, you’ll be fine. You got lost like this once when you were a kid, and you got yourself out of that. You just need a plan.”

            Those words steadied him, giving him something to grab onto. If he couldn’t see the sun through the treetops, then he would have to get to higher ground. Perhaps from there he could spot the beach or the river Kai had spoken of.

            With a plan in mind, Jess set his feet in motion. He headed uphill, skirting thick patches of undergrowth when he had to, but always moving towards the top of the slope. It wasn’t long before the foliage began to thin as the soil was replaced with solid gray rock that scraped at the bottoms of his feet. He didn’t care about that though. He wanted to find his way out of this jungle.

            Up ahead, the tree line abruptly came to an end. His heart quickened, and so did his pace. The stretch of rock wasn’t completely bare of plant life. Here and there, small weeds sprung up in crevices. The slope here steepened sharply, ending in the jagged edge of a cliff. Cautiously Jess made his approach.

            From the edge of the cliff, Jess could see straight down into the crater. It gaped at him, a giant hole in the earth, fenced in by sharp cliffs of basalt that would prove impossible to scale. At the center of the pit lay a gleaming lake, which flowed out of the crater through where a chunk of the cliff face was missing. It looked as if a giant hole had been blown out of the cliffs by a massive explosion.

            “It’s a volcano,” Jess said with a sharp intake of breath. “It must have collapsed after its last eruption.”

            Staring down into the crater, Jess found his attention drawn by where the water was emptying from its core. His mouth felt so dry all of a sudden, quick to remind him that his last drink had been hours ago.

_I wonder if that’s the river Kai was talking about._ He saw no other rivers flowing from the lake, and it seemed to travel back in the direction of the beach. There was no way of climbing safely down to the lake, of that Jess was sure, but perhaps he could follow the river back to the beach, and he would have fresh water to drink along the way.

            After backing away from the cliff’s edge, Jess paced along its perimeter until he came to where the cliff broke and the river cut through far below. He followed it, moving steadily downhill. The rocky ground gave way to soil and plants that reached for the river with their roots. When the bank dipped shallowly to meet the water’s edge, he stopped there to take a drink.

            The water was fresh and crisp. It filled his mouth like liquid gold, quenching his thirst. After days of swallowing seawater and coconut juices, he relished the taste of pure water. His entire being seemed to thrum with pleasure as he drank. New energy seeped into his body, and for the first time he could remember, he felt his head clear of all its troubles and concerns.

            After drinking his fill and then some, Jess stood up and looked about himself. The river cut a wide path through the foliage, and on the opposite bank, no distinguishing features or landmarks could be seen amongst the wall of trees. On his side of the river, however, he noticed two things.

            The first was that there was a clear and definite trail leading from the jungle to this very spot on the bank. This caught Jess by surprise. Of all the expeditions on Laroon Island that he knew of, none of them had ever suggested that this island might be inhabited by people. And yet, the trail was well worn and clearly marked, lined with smooth river stones. The undergrowth had begun to reclaim the bare ground that cut through it, but the trail was still there, clear as day.

            The second thing he noticed was a very unusual specimen of hibiscus tree. What made the tree so unusual were the flowers. The large, five-petal blooms weren’t the usual pink, yellow, or red, or even the rare blue. They were a startling deep purple. The color was so shocking that Jess just had to get a closer look to see if they were real.

            They were as real and alive as the skin on his hands. The rich violet shade of the flowers was mesmerizing up close. Jess stroked the petals of one, amazed that such a flower could possibly exist. He marveled at the color, and then it occurred to him that he’d seen this shade of purple before, in the scales of a being that he wouldn’t have believed existed a few days ago.

            An image of the merman, smiling radiantly in the light of the rising sun, entered his mind. Kai seemed to enjoy the beauty of a sunrise; would he admire something like a pretty flower? A blush colored Jess’s cheeks at the idea.

_What am I doing, picking flowers for a merman?_ He thought, though he found himself plucking the bloom from its stem anyway. _It’s just a nice gesture. Like a thank you gift for saving my life the other night._ The excuse didn’t feel convincing to him though. He didn’t want to think that he had other reasons for picking flowers for Kai.

            After eyeing the other flowers on the tree, Jess decided that it would be better to leave with just the one. He debated whether to follow the river to where it would eventually empty into the sea an unknown distance south of where they’d stayed the previous night, or to take the jungle trail and see where it led. He assumed it was built by scientists, and as such would lead to some old camp that had been occupied during a previous expedition to the island, or perhaps to where their boats had docked when they arrived.

            There was nothing to be gained from following the river, Jess guessed, and so he chose to take the trail. If it did lead to an old campsite or a docking place, perhaps he could find something useful there, like a lost knife or a carelessly discarded canteen. Anything could prove useful when you were stuck on a deserted island with no idea of when you’d be returning to civilization. He should probably ask Kai about that.

            The trail was narrow, barely wide enough for one person to walk comfortably. More often than not, an encroaching plant would brush against Jess as he passed. At one point, the plant growth had completely swallowed the trail, and he had to pick carefully through the undergrowth until he found it again. It made him worry that he would get lost in the jungle again, but the stone-lined path promised not to lead him astray.

            The trees ahead were beginning to thin. Excited, Jess picked up the pace. When the foliage abruptly ended, he found himself on the beach. He looked around, hoping to find some evidence of a camp or docking site, but there was no sign that scientists had ever visited this section of the island for any length of time. Disappointment momentarily overtook him until he realized with surprise that he recognized this particular strip of beach.

            A few paces to the north, Jess could see a figure lying in the sand. Even from this far off, he knew that it was Kai. As he approached, he saw that the merman was lying on his stomach, a branch in one hand as he tended the fire. There were trails in the sand where he must have dragged himself up the beach.

            “I didn’t realize that merpeople knew how to tend a fire,” Jess commented by way of greeting, sitting down beside the merman.

            “Most don’t,” Kai replied. He gave Jess a small smile but didn’t elaborate. “How was the jungle?”

            “Large and kind of frightening,” Jess answered truthfully.

            “Did you discover anything?”

            “Actually, yeah,” Jess said, holding out the flower he’d picked. “I found this hibiscus tree that grew some unusually colored flowers. I thought you might like to see one.”

            Seeming surprised, the merman shifted into a sitting position and took the flower Jess was offering him. Kai looked down at it. His eyes softened, and a tender smile lit his face. It was, Jess thought, a look of familiarity and fondness. That look was still in his eyes when he glanced up to meet Jess’s.

            “Thank you,” Kai said, and the words came out even more sweetly and full of emotion than they had that morning.

            “It was nothing,” Jess replied with an embarrassed chuckle, glancing away. He hoped that he was just imagining the feeling of a blush creeping into his cheeks. “The colors reminded me of your tail, and it got me to thinking that I never properly thanked you for saving me from that mermaid the other night, so I guess this is a thank you gift.”

            Cool lips pressed against his cheek. Jess froze, taken by shock. The kiss was fleeting, gone the next moment, and still it sent butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He tried to say something, but all that would come out were incomprehensible syllables. If he hadn’t been blushing before, he was sure now that his cheeks must be bright red.

            The urge to flee hit him so strongly that he leaped to his feet before he’d even made a conscious decision to do so. Kai didn’t seem to register the sudden motion, for his attention had returned once more to the flower. Mumbling a hasty excuse, Jess retreated to the edge of the jungle. It wasn’t a true escape; out on the open sand, with the foliage forming an impressive wall on one side and the ocean an even more imposing barrier on the other, there was no privacy here. But privacy wasn’t what he sought right now. What he needed was a chance to distance himself from the merman until he could master his composure once more.

            Leaning against the nearest tree, Jess took a few deep breaths. He could feel the burning in his cheeks begin to fade, thankfully, and the nerves in his stomach were settling. _Did that really just happen?_ Jess swallowed thickly. He would have liked to have chalked it all up to his imagination, but he could still feel the cool touch as if it were a brand.

_Maybe things are different in merpeople society. This could be a normal custom for them._ But thinking back to the cove and what Kai had said to him the previous morning, he got the sense that merpeople were not a particularly social race.

_He said he had no one…_ Jess glanced over his shoulder at the merman. Under the sweetness and that bright smile, there was a shadow there, and he knew what it was: loneliness. The merman was haunted by it. 

_I wonder if… he got lonely while I was gone, or if he missed me…_ That thought sent a pang of guilt through him for reasons Jess couldn’t put to words. The merman had seemed fine when he’d first set out, but he was becoming more familiar with how volatile Kai’s emotions could be, shifting from cheeriness to gloom at the drop of a hat.

            The heat of the day had reached its peak. Without the shade of the canopy overhead to provide shelter, Jess could feel the sun beating down on him. He was thirsty again. Thoughts of the river swam into his mind, but the trek back up the trail would take longer than he’d like. He still had the coconut though. He retrieved it now, and in a quick motion, he upended it and drank the last of its contents.

            The liquid was warm and viscous in his mouth. It did little to ease his thirst. He wanted to return to the river and drink its refreshing waters, but he faced a conundrum: he wasn’t sure where he’d left the end of the trail, or if he could even find it again, and he didn’t feel right leaving Kai alone again.

_Why not ask him to come along?_ The thought came to him the next instant, and he smiled. It was the ideal solution.

            His mind set, Jess walked back to the merman and squatted down in the sand beside him. The flower he had given Kai was now tucked delicately behind one ear. The dark purple complemented the raven black of the merman’s hair nicely, and Jess couldn’t help but notice how the flower emphasized the fine structures of Kai’s face. _Pretty…_ He brushed that thought away as quickly as it had jumped into his mind.

            “Hey, Kai?” Jess said, interrupting the daydreaming stare the merman had on as he worked the fire. “What do you say we go up the river?”

            Kai blinked, as if coming out of a daze. “Why are we going upriver?”

            “Oh, well,” Jess fumbled, looking for an excuse. He couldn’t just admit he felt bad about leaving Kai alone all day, could he? “I need to get more fresh water, and I thought you might need to get back in the water too. Aren’t you drying out in this heat? That would be dangerous for you, right?”

            “It is a danger, yes,” Kai agreed slowly, nodding. Did Jess imagine the trepidation that crept into the merman’s voice as he tiptoed around those words? He thought so. If Kai had concerns about traveling upriver, he would have voiced them, right?

            “Then it’s settled,” Jess said with a grin and stood up. He offered the merman his arms. Kai only hesitated for a moment before climbing into them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jess is a nerd. That is all.


	5. Chapter 5

            The river was colder than he expected. The swift current that swept through its center kept the water much cooler than the warm waters of the sea. The strength with which it flowed had forced the two of them to keep close to the bank, but even in the shallows the cold water still came up to Jess’s waist. He shivered.

            Wading in the river hadn’t been his initial plan. Originally he’d thought to walk along the river’s bank while Kai swam alongside him. However, when a thick tangle of roots and slick vines that went right down to the river’s edge caused him to lose his footing and fall into the river, he hadn’t seen the use in climbing back out again. The river was easier to navigate than the bank if one moved carefully, minding the stones at the bottom. Besides, this way he could stay close to Kai.

 _Kai._ Was the merman bothered by the cold? It would explain the disquieted look on his face. Jess had told him that he didn’t have to accompany him if he didn’t want to, feeling guilty for putting Kai through this discomfort, but the merman had shaken his head, swimming doggedly on.

            There was another reason why the merman was occupying Jess’s thoughts. There were a number of small things he’d noticed, small behaviors of Kai’s that had struck Jess as odd, but not because of how foreign they were. Some of Kai’s actions were very familiar, very human. He knew how to tend a fire and how to shake hands. Why would a merman know how to do these things?

            The question brought another memory to his mind, of cool lips alighting on his cheek. Jess felt a faint blush rising in his cheeks just thinking about it. _If Kai is at all familiar with human culture, then surely he knows what a kiss means to us…_ He’d been puzzling over this line of thought the entire trek up the river. It was hard not to. _Unless maybe he only knows bits and pieces of our culture. A kiss can have multiple meanings. Maybe he doesn’t know all those meanings or how to convey them?_ He seemed to convey gratitude well enough.

            He stopped. Was it just gratitude that had compelled Kai to kiss him? He had no way of knowing without asking the merman, and he would not do that. He pressed onward.

 _Maybe it’s just part of merfolk culture._ The thought had occurred to him before, but he still doubted it. The memory of the cove still sent a quiver of fear through him. It had been a harsh scene to witness as men and boys were dragged to their deaths. There hadn’t been any suggestion that merfolk had a social structure that fostered kindness and gentle touches.

            Abruptly his attention was brought back to the river when one of his feet slipped on a slime-coated rock. Flailing, he tried to regain his balance before he could take another spill in the river, but to no avail. The chill water engulfed him. Shock drove the breath from his lungs, and panic took hold of him. He remembered what it felt like to drown; salty water burning his throat and filling his lungs, darkness on all sides, and two bodies tangling above him…

            Thin arms wrapped around his chest from behind, heaving him upwards with startling strength. Relief flooded Jess as he broke the surface. He tried to gasp and breathe, but there was still water in his throat, blocking the air’s passage. Reflexively he doubled over, coughing the water up until he could inhale deeply once more. His throat felt raw from the effort. His mouth tasted of salt.

            “Thank you,” Jess wheezed hoarsely.

            Kai didn’t reply. Instead, the arms holding Jess vanished, and the merman swam out from behind him. He was staring upriver, and the look of unease was still fixed upon his face.

            “It’s not much farther,” Kai announced in a matter-of-fact tone that was unlike him. “The salinity is decreasing fast.”

            “Are you okay?” Jess couldn’t help but ask. “You don’t have to come with me if it’s causing you problems.”

            “I’m fine,” Kai replied shortly, each word coming out sharp.

            “No you’re not,” Jess objected. He was concerned and above all confused by the merman’s strange behavior, and he wanted to get to the bottom of the matter. “You’re not acting like yourself. Why are you insisting on coming upriver if you’re clearly not comfortable with it?”

            Kai bit his lip. “I don’t want to talk about it yet.”

            “About what, Kai? Look, whatever is upriver, I’m probably going to find out about it. There’s no avoiding each other here,” Jess pressed. He was growing impatient.

            The merman’s lip wobbled, his cheeks flushed, and abruptly he dissolved into tears. Jess was taken aback and instantly overcome with guilt. He knew he had overstepped Kai’s boundaries. He took a step towards Kai, an arm extended towards him, an apology already falling from his lips, when Kai dived to avoid him. The merman surfaced a moment later, a few feet ahead of him. He didn’t turn around or speak, but continued to make his way upriver.

            The wave of hurt that followed in Kai’s absence caught Jess off-guard. He had been rejected before, but never had it felt like this. The loneliness that he’d kept buried for years suddenly rose to the surface, threatening to choke him. His eyes stung, and for the first time in a long while, he felt tears threatening. But he couldn’t just allow himself to cry. He wouldn’t.

            Gritting his teeth, Jess closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe deeply. With each long exhale, he slowly regained his composure, bit by bit. After a few moments of this, he felt calm enough to continue after Kai.

            The merman was far ahead of him by now. At the rate he was wading, he wouldn’t catch up to Kai anytime soon, so he gave up trying to avoid the cold water and began to swim. He was already wet as it was.

            Up ahead, the tree with the purple flowers was coming into view. Jess quickened his pace, eager to get his drink and be done with this misadventure. He was on the verge of overtaking Kai when the merman lurched suddenly and gave a cry of distress.

            “What’s wrong?” Jess asked, pausing a few feet from Kai. To his alarm, the merman was trembling violently. What little flush of color there was had drained from Kai’s pale cheeks. His eyes were glazed with pain, completing the sickly picture.

            “It’s nothing,” Kai said, though the words came out strained. When Jess tried to reach for him, the merman jerked away from him as he had done before, though the movement was cut short as something held Kai in place. The merman uttered a shriek of pain.

            “You’re hurt!” Jess exclaimed. “Tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can do something to help.”

            Kai, who had been avoiding Jess’s eyes, reluctantly turned to face him. His amethyst eyes, beaded with tears, were filled with pain and fear.

            “I–” Kai stopped, biting his lip, as if he was afraid to speak to Jess. “I’m stuck.”

            “Stuck?” Jess echoed, moving closer.

            “There’s a log,” Kai began shakily.

            Jess didn’t give him time to finish. He had taken a deep breath and dived under the water, intent on freeing the merman. It was murkier than he had expected, and the chill of the current stung his eyes closed. He was forced to feel his way blindly along the river floor. It didn’t take him long though to find the sunken log, wedged among some river stones. Now he simply needed to find Kai’s tail and free it.

            His fingers brushed against something smooth lodged between the log and more river stones. It wasn’t scaled. Nor was it a membranous fin. No, what Jess felt against his fingers was unmistakably human skin.

            The limb gave a sudden jerk at his touch, as if its owner were attempting to flee, but it didn’t get far. It was securely trapped. Before Jess could think about what he was doing, he wrapped his fingers firmly around the thin ankle and carefully extricated it from under the log. Only once it was free did he surface.

            He gasped in the fresh air greedily when he came above water again. By the time he had caught his breath, Kai had moved off a few paces. The merman was hugging himself, shivering, his back turned to Jess. It was obvious from the hunch of his shoulders that he was distressed.

            A million questions whirled in Jess’s head, but his concern for the merman took precedence.

            “Kai?” he asked, cautiously, unsure of how the merman might react to his presence.

            The merman shrank in on himself, as if he would will himself out of existence. Worry made Jess move closer. Hesitantly he put his hands on the merman’s shoulders and turned Kai to him. The merman’s eyes were screwed tight, though the tears he was trying to repress leaked out in spite of it.

            “What’s wrong?” Jess asked again, softly.

            Kai sniffled, trying to compose himself. Jess waited patiently for a response.

            “I-it hurts,” Kai said finally, voice wobbling as he struggled against tears.

            “What hurts?” Jess asked coaxingly.

            “M-my legs… The transformation–”

            “Transformation?” Jess interrupted sharply, his grip inadvertently tightening on the merman’s shoulders. Something in his voice must have frightened Kai, for the merman let out a whimper, shrinking away from him. Jess forced himself to take a deep breath, allowing his hands to fall away from Kai’s shoulders.

            “I thought you deserved to know,” Kai said quietly. He seemed to steel himself before meeting Jess’s eyes with an imploring stare. “I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how to explain.”

            “Explain what? That you have legs? _How_ do you have legs?” It just didn’t make sense to Jess. Something was missing from his understanding. It was as if he was staring at an incomplete puzzle, and he lacked the key piece to finish it.

            “Because I was human!”

            Silence came in the wake of those words. Jess’s jaw opened and closed, as if he were chewing on those words. It seemed inconceivable… and yet, it fit. All of the pieces fell into place in his mental puzzle. The handshaking, the fire tending, the kiss… Kai knew these human customs because he had once been human himself.

            Jess could find nothing to say. He could only stare incredulously at Kai. Whatever bravado Kai had built up to make his declaration seemed to have fled him now, and he huddled in on himself, shivering from cold. Noticing this snapped Jess out of his stunned state. He reached under the water, taking hold of the edge of his sodden tank top.

            “You must be cold,” Jess commented, lifting the shirt over his head. “Here, have my shirt. It’s wet, but it might help. It’s better than nothing.”

            As the shirt came off, Jess felt something thud against his chest. He looked down at himself, surprised to see the scale pendant he had purchased at the street market in Old Town only a couple days ago. He had forgotten that he was still wearing it.

            “Is that… what I think it is?” Kai asked, quietly, as if he was holding his breath. He was staring at the pendant.

            “This?” Jess asked, grasping it and pulling it over his head too. He held it out to the merman. “I got this from a merchant in Old Town. She claimed it was a mermaid scale. Did you want to see it?”

            Kai took it tentatively, holding it delicately between two hands as if he were afraid of it. The smooth, colorless scale was easily the size of one of his palms. He stared at it for a long moment, transfixed, before reaching into the water at his side. A wince of pain crossed his face before he brought up his hand again, holding up a second scale. It was smaller than the pendant and still held a purple hue to its translucent surface.

            “It’s a mermaid scale,” Kai confirmed before Jess could ask. “It’s been stored in freshwater for a long time. All the color is gone.”

            Kai stared at the scales for a moment longer before offering them both to Jess. In exchange, Jess gave him the shirt. Kai put it on. It was obviously too big for him, hanging loosely from the edges of his shoulders. In the process of putting it on, the hibiscus flower that had been tucked behind Kai’s ear came free and was now bobbing on the river’s surface. Jess rescued it before the current could carry it off.

            Without thinking, Jess reached out and brushed some of Kai’s bangs behind one ear before pinning the flower there. Kai blushed in response.

            “We should get out of the river,” the merman suggested, looking shyly away.

            Jess blinked. He hadn’t seen Kai act bashful before. It was charming, almost, though charming didn’t seem to describe it…

            “Yeah,” he agreed. “It’s getting colder.”

            It was getting colder. The sun was moving behind the caldera’s brim, and the chill of the current was more noticeable without a shirt on, even a wet one. Jess was starting to shiver himself. By mutual agreement, they made for the shallow bank where the hibiscus tree grew. It was a relief to get out of the water. Jess knelt at the river’s edge, using both hands to bring water to his mouth. It was just as sweet as before and soothing to his sore throat.

            Kai was waiting for him by the tree. He was leaning heavily against its trunk, as if he couldn’t stand on his own. His eyes were closed, his pale forehead creased with pain.

            “Kai?” Jess asked when he noticed the state of the merman. He stood and went to Kai’s side. “You ok?”

            “Yeah,” Kai replied tightly, looking up at the tree. The blossoms were beginning to close in the absence of the sun’s light. “It’s just been a while since I last had my legs back. This tree was barely more than a shrub then.”

            “Do you want me to carry you?” Jess offered.

            Kai hesitated for a moment before giving a jerky nod. Setting his shoulders, Jess made a sling of his arms for Kai to climb into. The merman moved into the sling as he had done before, his arms looped over Jess’s shoulders to support himself as his knees went over one of Jess’s arms. Jess lifted. It surprised him how light the merman suddenly was with all the strong tail muscles and sleek scales stripped away. Kai’s weight seemed barely noticeable compared to before.

            With the merman in his arms, Jess turned and made to leave. A small noise from Kai stopped him. The merman was looking up at the tree again, his eyes filled with an unreadable sentiment.

            “I planted that tree a long time ago, to mark where the water lost all its salt and my legs would come back,” Kai commented in the evening quiet. “I wasn’t expecting the transformation to happen when it did.”

            “Rivers change,” Jess offered, shrugging one shoulder.

            Kai was silent at that, lost in thought. Jess waited, not wanting to disturb the merman by moving too soon. Finally the merman turned in his arms and pointed towards the trees, where the trail lay.

            “The beach is that way,” Kai told him. “I made a path through the jungle that’ll take us there. I don’t know if it’s still there though. The plants might have grown over it.”

            “It’s overgrown in some places, but it’s still there,” Jess said.

            Kai nodded, and they set off down the trail. In the rapidly fading light, the trail was hard to see, and Jess relied heavily on Kai’s memory to navigate it. They wound their way around rocks and trees, and where the trail vanished completely beneath the undergrowth, they followed the path of least resistance.

            The sun had completely vanished by the time they arrived at the beach, and an indigo sky was following in its wake. The fire had burned down to little more than embers in their absence. After lowering Kai to the sand, Jess set about reviving it, sifting through the ashes to gather the coals together. Kai helped by feeding the embers coconut fibers as kindling. Within minutes they had a small flame going.

            Jess sat back with a sigh, enjoying the warmth of the fire against his chilled skin. He had finally stopped shivering. A glance over at Kai told him that the merman was starting to warm too. He sat on his knees, hands outstretched to catch the fire’s warmth. Jess’s shirt hung limply from his shoulders, the hem falling just shy of Kai’s knees. It was practically a dress on the merman.

            They sat together in silence, warming themselves by the fire, unsure of what to say. Jess found his gaze drifting to Kai. The sight of legs on the skinny merman seemed somehow unsettling. More than once, Kai glanced up to meet his gaze, and he had to look away in a hurry, embarrassed to be caught staring. He longed for something to break the silence, if only to ease the tension he felt settling upon him.

            As if hearing his wish, the growl of a hungry stomach suddenly rang out from Kai’s side of the fire. The merman glanced up at Jess, looking shocked, then looked away as if he was embarrassed.

            “Hungry?” Jess asked, putting on a friendly smile.

            Kai met his gaze once more and gave a small nod. At that moment, Jess’s stomach saw fit to voice its own complaints.

            “So am I,” Jess chuckled. “Whatever shall we eat?”

            “Not fish,” Kai mumbled, avoiding Jess’s gaze. “I’m not ready to go back into the ocean yet.”

            “That’s fine,” Jess said, looking to the jungle for ideas. The branches of palm trees were little more than faint shadows against a dark sky. “We could eat… bananas?”

            “Bananas?” Kai echoed. His evident surprise brought a smile to Jess’s face.

            “Sure. You won’t have to go into the ocean to get them. And look, there’s some right behind you.”

            Getting to his feet, Jess crossed the sand to the outcropping of rock he’d used before to collect bananas. His footing was sure as he climbed up on it and began harvesting. With four bananas clutched by the stems in one hand, he climbed back down and handed two to Kai.

            “That should be enough, but tell me if you want more,” Jess said, taking a seat beside the merman. “Time to dig in!”

            While Jess pealed his fruit with ease, Kai seemed to be struggling with his. The merman fumbled with the peal, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with it. After a moment of this, Jess took the banana from him and showed him how to open it.

            “Have you never eaten bananas before?” he asked as he handed the freshly pealed banana back.

            “I have, but it’s been so long since last I ate one that I forgot how,” Kai replied. “I haven’t eaten bananas since before I became a merman.”

            Curiosity piqued, Jess couldn’t help asking, “How long ago was that?”

            “Over a century ago,” Kai murmured gloomily.

            Jess was in shock. How old was Kai? He recalled that Kai had said that mermen don’t age, but to think that Kai had lived for over a hundred years, untouched by the passage of time… Jess had a hard time believing it. And yet Kai sat before him, looking very much like a young boy, barely into his teen years.

            He wanted to ask Kai more questions, but the merman was now occupied with eating his bananas. He was onto his second one already, having eaten the first in quick, ravenous gulps. Not wanting to disturb the merman, Jess did the same. But one question continued to burn at the back of his mind.

            When they had finished their meal, Jess couldn’t hold in his question any longer.

            “How does a human become a merperson?”

            Kai paused and looked thoughtful, as if he was considering his answer. When he spoke, his voice was soft.

            “I don’t understand much of how merfolk magic works, but I know that it involves scales and singing. The human eats the scale while the merperson sings, and then the transformation starts.”

            “Is that what happened to you?” The question came out unbidden, and Jess immediately regretted it when he saw the look of pain that came over Kai. Jess opened his mouth to tell Kai that he didn’t have to answer that question, but the merman pressed on.

            “That’s all that I remember. I woke up in a cave, and I couldn’t see or think straight. I tried to move, but my body wouldn’t respond. I felt cold all over, and my legs felt like they were tied up. That’s when I heard the humming. And the mermaid that attacked you in the cove, she was there, hovering over me. I was scared, and I wanted to run, but I couldn’t move. She fed me the scale then and started singing. That’s when the pain started.”

            Kai was speaking too fast, his breathing rapid and shallow as he recounted the story. His eyes were wide and frightened, as if he were reliving it as well. Jess reached out and placed a hand on the merman’s shoulder, trying to calm him, but it had no effect.

            “It felt like nothing I had ever experienced before. My legs felt like they were on fire, like the skin was melting off. It was agony! I don’t know how long I lasted before I passed out. When I woke up, I was alone in the cave. Everything ached, like I’d been lying there for days, but my legs felt… They just felt _wrong_ , and I knew something was wrong with them, so I sat up to try and see what had happened to them, but they weren’t there! I didn’t have legs anymore, just a fish tail!”

            Kai was trembling now, and nothing Jess did could pull him back to reality.

            “I was scared, so scared, I didn’t know what to do. I just wanted to go home. So I started dragging myself to the cave opening. I could see the ocean out there, and my family’s manor was built right on the edge of the coast. I thought that if I could only get to the water, I could swim home. But when I got in the water, I forgot I didn’t have legs anymore, and I didn’t know how to work my tail. I thought I was drowning!”

            A sob broke from the merman then. Jess pulled Kai to him, folding the merman in his arms as he cried, as he’d done the very first time Kai had broken into tears. He held the merman secure as heaving sobs wracked his small frame.

            “I wish I had drowned!” Kai hiccupped between sobs. “I wish I had drowned, because when I did figure out how to work my tail and I swam home, I realized that I could never go back. My family wouldn’t have taken me back, and no one would help me. They’d all be too afraid of what I’d become. I had to live with the knowledge that I’d never see my family again!”

            Pity flooded Jess. He was no stranger to grief, but he couldn’t imagine how painful it must have been to be separated from one’s entire family like that. To be alive and know that they were alive too, somewhere out of reach, until time’s unstoppable passage made certain that they weren’t alive anymore.

            As Kai’s crying began to subside, Jess found himself stroking the merman’s hair. The merman burrowed into his embrace further, his tear-streaked face pressing into Jess’s bare chest. It made his heart beat faster, for reasons he couldn’t grasp. He tried to distract them both by asking another question.

            “You said earlier that merfolk have magic. How does that work?”

            “They use their songs to shape the magic to do what they want,” Kai murmured. His voice was hoarse from crying.

            “So it’s like an incantation? Sort of like a magic spell?” Jess asked.

            “Not quite,” Kai said, shaking his head. “It’s not as precise as that. Any song and any words can be used, so long as it fits the merperson’s feelings or desires.”

            “I see,” Jess said, then frowned. “So then do merfolk use their songs to capture prey? Is that why all those mermaids were at the cove that night?”

            “That’s not what they’re supposed to be used for,” Kai said, sitting up straight so he could lock eyes with Jess. “A merperson’s song is meant to be used to attract a potential mate. Their magic can’t be used for much else. But not everyone can hear a merperson’s song clearly. It’s said that only the person who can hear every word with perfect clarity is destined to be that merperson’s mate for life.”

            “Were you looking for a mate that night then?” Jess asked sharply, surprising even himself with the shrillness of his voice.

            “I was only hoping to make a friend,” Kai sighed, shaking his head. “I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I’ve been alone for so long, I just had to try… But then I saw you coming toward me. And I was happy.”

            Kai smiled brightly then, his face illuminated by the fire’s glow. Jess could feel his heart speeding up again, sending heat to his face. He remembered that night in the cove; there had been one song amongst the cacophony of others that he’d heard loud and clear. But he had no way of knowing for sure that the song had belonged to Kai without asking. And if it had, did that mean they were destined to be friends like Kai wanted, or something else?

            In the silence that followed, Kai’s smile faded, replaced by a shadow. The merman stood abruptly and walked towards the ocean. Some intrinsic instinct told Jess that he was meant to follow, so he rose to his feet. Kai stopped just short of the water’s edge, out of reach of the waves that swept across the sand. He stood staring out to sea with Jess waiting quietly at his side.

            It was odd, the things Jess noticed in that moment. Kai was taller than he would have imagined, only a few inches shy of Jess’s own height. It was obvious that even with the proper nourishment, the merman would always be slender. Had fate been kinder, Kai would have grown up to be tall and slim, with a willowy build and looks that could have turned anyone’s head. But the merman was forever stuck as he was, frozen in time.

            “I should have known that even if I found someone to be friends with, it couldn’t last long,” Kai murmured. “Tomorrow I’ll take you back to Old Town.”

            “Are you sure?” Jess asked, and then wondered why he asked that. He had to go back; staying here was out of the question. And yet he was reluctant to leave the island. And more importantly, to leave Kai.

            “It’s not fair for me to keep you here,” Kai sighed, shaking his head. “It wasn’t fair of me to bring you here in the first place. You have a family to go back to, and I… I don’t. My family is long dead by now, and I never had a chance to go back to them. I can’t take that chance away from you too.”

            “If you’re certain…” Jess replied quietly. Kai nodded solemnly.

            Jess was torn. He knew that he needed to return to Old Town. His father would be beside himself with worry by now. Though their relationship had been rocky in recent years, they still cared for each other. He couldn’t just leave his father to worry and wait for a son that was never coming back, and he found himself missing his home as well.

            But then there was Kai to consider. The merman lived a solitary life, and it was obvious that solitude did not suit him. But who else did he have? He certainly wouldn’t find any friends among humans, not with the stories that haunted Old Town, and Jess doubted that the merman would find many friends among other merfolk.

            And so Jess was coming to the conclusion that no matter what happened tomorrow, he could not leave Kai to live his life alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: IDTD will be updating on a bi-weekly schedule. Next chapter is scheduled to be posted on May 12, 2016.


	6. Chapter 6

            “The marine wildlife center should be a quarter mile down the coast from here,” Jess told the merman. “That’ll be out of the way of all the boats, so we should be safe to go ashore there without being seen.”

            “What if there are people at the center?” Kai asked. Apprehension was written all over his face. “I can’t let them see my tail.”

            “I’ll get out first and check it out,” Jess offered. “I can bring you ashore if the coast is clear, and if it’s not, we’ll move farther down the coast and wait until the people leave.”

            They had been bobbing about on the outskirts of the Falen Delta for an hour now, carefully avoiding being seen by the boats that were moving in and out of the port. Evening was falling on the delta, and Jess recalled that it was around this time that the street vendors packed up their wares and most people prepared to retire in their homes for the night. _Good._ He thought. _The less people that notice us, the better._

            At a signal from Kai, Jess took a deep breath before the merman dived, pulling them both underwater. He knew that he need not worry about drowning; before they’d set out on the return swim that morning, Kai had explained how merfolk absorbed oxygen from the water through their skin, and if necessary, they had the ability to share that oxygen through skin contact. It was how Kai had gotten him to Laroon Island without drowning in the first place, he’d learned.

            They resurfaced minutes later, this time far from the busy delta port. The marine wildlife center was in sight now. It sat on the edge of a short sandstone cliff with a gentle slope that led down into a cove. The windows of the compound were dark, suggesting that the researchers and volunteers that worked there had all gone home for the evening, but Jess wouldn’t dare chance that someone might still be in the building, so he made Kai wait in the shallows while he investigated.

            Circling the compound’s perimeter was easy. Finding an unlocked door was not. The front and side entrances were all locked. Jess sighed; it was beginning to look like he would need to jump one of the brick walls that fenced in the wildlife holding enclosures in the back and hope that he’d find an unlocked door there, and there was no telling what sort of animals were being held in those enclosures. He’d have to hope that he didn’t land himself in an enclosure with something aggressive that could move on land.

            Pacing along the holding enclosures, Jess listened for sounds that could indicate what types of animals were being held inside. From one enclosure, he heard the distinct sound of a mammalian creature snuffling around, followed by the coarse bark of a seal. That enclosure wouldn’t do. He went to another and listened again. No sounds came from within. Jess’s heartbeat quickened. With any luck, this enclosure would be empty.

            Backing away from the enclosure, Jess eyed the brick wall and calculated how much of a running start he would need. Taking a breath, he braced and launched himself at the wall. His hands gripped the top while his bare feet searched for purchase on the rough stone. Gritting his teeth with the effort, he hoisted himself up and over.

            The enclosure wasn’t empty. In the pool set into the cemented ground, a sea turtle glided lazily through the water. Its paddle-like fins barely made a sound as it swam. Jess smiled. The creature looked healthy, and he had no doubt that it would be released back into the wild soon.

            Steering clear of the pool, Jess headed for the door that would lead into the main building. As he suspected, it was unlocked; the marine center staff must have thought that the brick wall was enough to deter any potential intruders. He opened the door quietly and slipped inside.

            The tiled floors were cool and smooth under his feet. He passed windowed rooms where other aquatic animals were being kept. He was looking for the locker room, where he was sure he could find some spare clothes. Wearing his gym shorts and stretched tank top might make the story he would be telling his father more convincing, but Kai would need something to wear himself.

            More importantly, he needed to find a shower. He had convinced Kai that he would need the merman to be present for the telling of his story, but in order for that to happen, they needed to bring Kai’s legs back. After careful planning, Jess had come up with an idea: if the marine wildlife center outside of Old Town was anything like the one in Fogwood, it would have a locker room and a set of showers. If all went according to plan, Kai could use the showers to trigger the transformation, and they could scrounge up some clothes for him too.

_So far, so good_. Jess thought. He’d stumbled across a door labeled “Locker Room.” Inside, he found lockers lined up against one wall and a pair of benches sitting parallel in the center of the room. On opposite walls were doors leading to gendered changing rooms. A look inside one told him that the showers were located inside.

            Showers were one thing, but if he couldn’t find clothes for the merman, their plan was ruined. He searched the locker room and both changing rooms, but he could not find a scrap of clothing anywhere. He was about to give up when he noticed the trio of boxes that sat beside the lockers, hidden from view. They were tall, with the words “families in need” written in big letters across their centers. At the top of each box was an individual label marking what it should contain: toys, food, and clothing.

            Grinning in triumph, Jess checked the contents of the clothing box. Inside he could see garments of various sizes and types. He was certain that there would be something suitable for Kai to wear in there. Satisfied, he exited the locker room and scouted the building on his way out, making sure that there would be no people to witness them when he brought Kai to the building.

            The front door was easy to unlock. So easy in fact that Jess expected some kind of alarm to go off when the door was opened. There was none, and Jess breathed a sigh of relief. His plan just might work. Now it was time to set that plan in motion.

            After verifying that the door would not lock itself automatically upon closing, Jess took off at a run down to the beach. He stopped at the water’s edge; Kai was nowhere to be seen. That was as he expected though. With one last glance around to be sure they were totally alone, Jess cupped his hands around his mouth and called the merman’s name. Kai surfaced in the next moment, not far off in the shallows. He swam closer.

            “How did it go?” Kai asked. His earlier apprehension had not dissipated.

            “It’s all going according to plan,” Jess assured him. “I found everything we need, and there’s no one around. Are you ready?”

            A frown creased Kai’s face, and Jess knew that the merman was not looking forward to his plan. He would have liked to tell Kai that he didn’t have to participate or that there was another way, but the reality was that there were no other options. If Kai didn’t come with him now, then this would be the last time they’d see each other. Jess would go back to Fogwood, where his life would be wasted trying to redeem all the bad choices he’d made, and Kai would return to the sea, alone. Together though, they stood a chance of making something more of their lives.

            Kai, seeming to realize this, nodded his head. Putting on a reassuring smile for Kai’s sake, Jess waded into the ocean and helped the merman into his arms. Again he noticed the difference in weight that Kai’s tail created. It was not an unmanageable weight though, and Jess had little trouble carrying the merman up to the marine center.

            Once they reached the center though, Jess’s plan hit a snag. He couldn’t open the door while the merman occupied his arms.

            “Hey, Kai? Do you think you can open the door for us?” Jess asked. “Otherwise I’m gonna have to put you down.”

            Nodding, Kai reached out and grabbed hold of the handle. It was somewhat heavier than a regular door, and while Jess had had no trouble with it, Kai seemed to be struggling to get it open. He was leaning farther and farther out of Jess’s arms as he strained, and Jess worried that the merman might unbalance himself and fall. He tightened his grip around the merman’s small body while Kai pulled with all the might his slender arms held. The door reluctantly opened.

            Once inside, Jess made straight for the locker rooms. He used his foot to nudge open first the locker room door, then the door to the men’s changing room. The showers were located towards the back of the changing room; they reminded Jess of the showers in his school’s gym, door-less and with low tile walls that separated each “stall,” if they could be called that. The showers here though were much better kept than those of his school.

            “Will you be alright in here by yourself?” Jess asked as he placed the merman down in the first stall. “Is there anything you need?”

            “I’ll be fine,” Kai assured him. “Though if you could turn on the water for me, I’d be grateful. I can’t quite reach it myself.”

            “Sure,” Jess said. He turned on the faucet, and a spray of water cascaded down onto the merman. Kai flinched and shivered with cold, and Jess adjusted the temperature until the merman told him to stop.

            “That’s warm enough for me,” Kai said.

            “Ok,” Jess replied, though the water barely felt warmer than room temperature. To Kai though, who had spent decades in the sea, it must have been the warmest water he’d felt in ages. “Do you need anything else?”

            Kai shook his head. His face had that pinched look about it again, the same he’d had when they’d gone upriver. Already Kai’s scales were turning pale.

            “I-I’ll go wait outside,” Jess stammered quickly. He could feel the prickling of a blush rising in his cheeks for reasons he could not name. “Call me if you need anything.”

            Not waiting for Kai’s response, Jess sped out of the room. He was definitely blushing now. Outside in the locker room, he pressed a cool hand to his face and focused on controlling his breathing.

            “What’s wrong with me?” he muttered to himself. “Get a grip, there’s still stuff that needs to be done.”

            With that thought steadying him, Jess went over to the donated clothes box. He rummaged around, looking for clothing that he thought might fit Kai. From the box he managed to find two t-shirts, some jeans, a pair of short shorts, and a sweatshirt that all looked like they might do. They all had a worn look about them and were obviously well-used prior to donation, but Jess thought that might add a bit of credibility to his story when he told it. An edge of guilt stung him for stealing clothes that were meant to go to families in need, but he reasoned it away by telling himself that Kai had no clothes at all, so that made him in need.

            The door to the changing room swung open, and Jess looked up to see Kai standing there on shaky legs, wrapped in a towel. His face was pale with pain, and Jess was reminded of when he first learned about the merman’s hidden ability; he shook the memory away and went to Kai, putting a steadying arm around the merman as he helped him forward.

            “I laid out some clothes for you to try on,” Jess told him softly. “They’re on the bench.”

            The going was slow as Kai took small, faltering steps. Jess frowned noticing this. Would he have to carry Kai as he had done the day before? That might throw off the story he planned to tell his father. But if Kai was in that much pain, then he would. He’d just find a way to make the story work around that.

            At last they reached the bench. Kai, with evident relief, sat down upon it while Jess brought the clothing within arm’s reach. He turned away, wondering whether he should step outside to give the merman more privacy. But if Kai needed him to help him stand and walk again, he would need Jess to stay nearby. So he stayed where he was with his back turned to Kai. The sound of clothing rustling as Kai tried them on was the only sound that filled the room.

            “I’m done,” Kai said at last.

            Turning around, Jess found that the merman was wearing the sweatshirt and the short shorts. The shorts didn’t even reach halfway down Kai’s thighs. He frowned.

            “The jeans would keep you warmer. Did they not fit?” he asked.

            “They fit fine,” Kai admitted, avoiding Jess’s eyes as if he was ashamed. “I really didn’t want to wear them though. They make my legs feel like they’re trapped inside my tail again. It bothers me…”

            “That’s fine,” Jess replied comfortingly. “You might be cold when we go outside though. Can you walk?”

            In response, Kai pushed himself up from the bench. His face was tight with determination, but to Jess’s relief, there was less pain there than before. The merman managed to take a few small steps on his own before Jess went to him. He lifted one of the merman’s thin arms and slipped it over his shoulders.

            “Lean on me, I’ll help you,” Jess said.

            He felt Kai’s weight press against his side as a grateful sigh escaped the merman. Together they made their way out of the marine center one slow step at a time.

            Outside, a chill wind had picked up. Jess shivered. The wind was no colder than what he was used to, but spending two days on a tropical island had made him forget how cold this coast could be. _The cold is probably affecting Kai more though._

            “Are you sure you’re alright in those shorts?” Jess asked, glancing down at the merman beside him. “We can go back and get those jeans if you want.”

            To his surprise, Kai seemed unfazed by the cold.

            “I’m fine,” the merman said. If anything, the cold seemed to have eased more of the pain from his face.

            They followed an old road that led up from the marine center to the town. By the time they reached Old Town, the sun had mostly sunken into the sea at their backs. The wrought iron lampposts that lined the streets were already lit, casting a steady yellow glow in the gathering dusk. Few people were out and about at this time. Those that were hardly bothered to cast more than a curious glance in their direction as they passed. Jess kept his head down, not wanting to draw anyone’s attention.

            Just as the inn was coming into sight, Kai stopped and pulled his arm from Jess’s shoulder.

            “I can walk,” he said determinedly.

            “Are you sure?” Jess asked.

            Gulping as if to swallow his nerves, Kai nodded stiffly. The merman’s body was rigid with tension; he looked about ready to flee. Jess leaned in closer, catching one of Kai’s hands in his own without thinking. He gave the slender hand in his grasp a reassuring squeeze before letting go. They advanced forward.

            Pushing open the inn door, they were greeted with the warmth of a blazing fire in the hearth. That wasn’t all that was waiting for them. Pacing back and forth in the inn’s front room was Jess’s father. The innkeeper was there too, sitting in the same armchair that Jess had last seen her in, a book held between her hands.

            At first, John Azure didn’t seem to register that someone had entered the inn. It wasn’t until the _thunk_ of the innkeeper’s book hitting the floor sounded that he paused in his pacing to look up. His face was blank with surprise for a moment as he stared at the newcomers. And then it changed. The surprise melted into relief as John rushed forward and embraced his missing son; when he pulled back though, his face was awash with anger.

            “Where have you been, Jesse?!” he demanded sharply, all but shouting in Jess’s face. “Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?!”

            “I’m sorry,” Jess apologized immediately, thinking quickly through the story he’d prepared for this exact moment. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I wasn’t supposed to be gone this long! I just wanted to go out for a walk…”

            “Walks don’t take three days, Jesse,” his father said sternly. “Explain yourself this instant!”

            “I woke up really early the other morning, and I didn’t feel like sleeping, so I thought I would take a walk,” Jess began. “I decided to walk over the Delta Bridge to check out Falen a bit and maybe get a bite to eat at a diner or something. But I didn’t bring my wallet with me. I was about to call you to let you know where I was when I realized that I forgot my cell phone too. So I turned around and was heading back, but then I saw these men harassing a girl on the street. I just went over there to talk them into leaving her alone, when one of them started throwing punches.”

            Here, Jess paused to gingerly massage at the place he’d been struck by one merperson’s tail that night he’d met Kai. The spot was still a bit tender, and he knew there must have been a bruise there. _Perfect. That’ll just make my story all the more convincing._

            “I got hit in the head, and I guess I passed out. I woke up later all tied up in this warehouse place. Those men were there, and they were arguing about how they were going to get rid of me. They were debating whether to throw me in the ocean or just leave me to starve to death.” Jess shuddered for dramatic effect. “I guess they decided to leave me there though, because they walked out, and I don’t remember seeing them again after that. I stayed like that for a whole day. And then last night, Kai found me.”

            All eyes shifted to the merman, who was standing partially hidden behind Jess. The merman quivered as the attention settled upon him, and his face was pale with nervousness. Jess gave Kai a subtle nod of encouragement, urging him to speak up and tell his part of the story as they’d rehearsed it that morning. The merman swallowed.

            “I-I live in that warehouse, so when I f-found Jess, I knew he wasn’t supposed to be there,” Kai stammered. “So I untied him. H-he said he wanted to leave right away, but it was late out, so I made him stay until this morning.”

            “It took us a while to figure out how to get to the Delta Bridge from the warehouse district, but we figured it out and we’re here now,” Jess concluded smoothly.

            There was a long silence as his father and the innkeeper took in his words. While his father switched his gaze back and forth between the two boys, the innkeeper was staring solidly at the merman. Kai fidgeted under her unwavering eyes, stepping closer behind Jess as if his body was a shield for the merman to hide behind.

            “After all that, why didn’t you go to the police?” his father asked at last.

            “Because,” Jess said evenly. He’d been waiting for this question all along. He just hoped his father knew him well enough to believe his answer. “I don’t trust the police.”

            It was the truth. In the years that Jess spent looking for trouble, he’d gotten into numerous fights and had a few run-ins with the law. In his most recent encounter, one which took place after he’d made his commitment to set his life straight again, the Fogwood PD had been bent on charging him with assault for his participation in a fight just outside the high school grounds. In reality, Jess had been defending himself from another teen with a short fuse and a knife.

            Jess had come out of that fight with only a shallow cut on the corner of one eyebrow to show for it; the other teen wound up with a broken nose. It was only because the other boy’s mother and Jess’s father had reached an agreement to drop all charges that he didn’t have his police record marred any further. He knew that that incident was a large part of the reason why his father hadn’t yet recognized the progress he’d been making towards restoring his good name.

            John seemed to consider Jess’s words for a moment before accepting them with a slight inclination of his head. He pulled Jess forward into another hug.

            “I’m just glad you’re back safe,” he murmured into Jess’s curls before pulling back. “We’ll talk more once we get you boys settled into your rooms. Ma’am, are there any rooms available for the night?”

            “I’m afraid there are no rooms left, sir,” the innkeeper said in a lilting version of the region’s accent. “We’re fully booked. The lad will have to stay elsewhere.”

            “Oh? Surely there’s no need for that. We’ll think of something,” John said with a frown.

            “Kai can stay with me for the night,” Jess spoke up. He cringed internally at how shrill the words came out. John raised an eyebrow at him, while the innkeeper frowned. It was evident that she was displeased with this solution, but she didn’t voice an objection.

            “That sounds like an excellent idea,” John agreed after a beat. “Ma’am, could I trouble you to bring two plates of the pub’s special to the room for these boys?”

            “Of course, sir,” the innkeeper said civilly, though Jess got the feeling that she would have liked to refuse.

            “Thank you. Now that that’s settled, why don’t you go show Kai to the room, Jess?” John suggested, giving him a small push in that direction.

            Nodding assent, Jess began moving towards the hall and the rooms connected to it. He didn’t need to look back to see if Kai was following him or not; the merman was all but attached to his side. When they ducked into the empty hallway, cold hands slid around one of Jess’s arms and gripped him tightly. Though they were out of the wind, Jess felt a shiver run up his spine all the same.

            His room was exactly as Jess remembered leaving it – including the unlocked door. Somehow it seemed even smaller than before. Perhaps that was because of the slim merman picking his way towards the bed. With two people, the room seemed outright crowded.

            There was a knock at the door. Jess opened it, expecting to see the innkeeper standing there with a tray of food for them, but instead he found his father, notably food-less.

            “Can I have a word with you in my room?” John requested. His face was smooth and controlled, not giving any hints to the nature of what he wanted to discuss. For some reason, it put Jess on his guard.

            “Sure,” Jess said, careful to keep his voice pleasantly neutral. He glanced over his shoulder at where Kai was sitting on the bed. “Kai, will you be alright if I leave for a few minutes?”

            The merman looked dismayed at this prospect, but his only reply was a small “Ok.” Jess offered him a reassuring smile before slipping out of the room. He followed his father silently to his room a few doors down.

            “Now I meant what I said about being glad that you’re back safe and sound,” John began as he let them both into his room. “But I need to know, Jesse, what happened to you over these last few days.”

            “I already told you,” Jess said.

            “No, you’ve just told me what you want me to believe,” John stated bluntly. His voice was calm, far too calm for Jess’s liking. The man moved past him and made his way over to the bed. He picked up something that had been sitting on his nightstand. The object that he held up made Jess’s blood run cold. It was his cell phone. “This was found on a beach on this side of the delta. Now, tell me the truth.”

            Jess went rigid, adrenaline racing as his fight or flight reflex threatened to take over. He fought to remain in control of himself as his mind tried to come up with a reasonable lie that would tie the lost cell phone into his story. But anything he said now would make his story fall apart. There was only one thing left. Jess swallowed thickly.

            “I can’t,” he muttered, his hands balling into fists at his side. “I can’t tell you.”

            “Why not?!” his father demanded, his voice growing sharp with anger. “You’ve gotten into a lot of trouble over the years, Jesse, but keeping secrets is something you don’t normally do. I’ve tried not to interfere in your life before other than to protect you and give you advice, but this is going too far! You’ve been missing for three days! I am your father, and I think I deserve to know why.”

            “Dad, if I could tell you, I would!” Jess practically shouted back. “But this isn’t my secret, so it’s not up to me! I’m just going to do my damnedest to be a good friend and keep it secret.”

            “A good friend? Is this about that boy?” his father asked. His voice was starting to lose its edge.

            “Yes, Dad,” Jess said. “I wanted to talk to you about him.”

            “What about him?” John asked, sounding perplexed.

            “Well, you heard what he said. He lives in a warehouse. He’s homeless. He’s got no one to go back to when we leave. And we’re leaving to go back to Fogwood tomorrow, aren’t we?”

            “What are you trying to say?” John asked slowly, a hint of suspicion in his voice, like he already knew.

            “I’m saying that one night in a warm bed and a free meal or two is not enough to thank him for what he’s done for me,” Jess pointed out.

            “Are you suggesting that we take him back with us to Fogwood?” his father demanded.

            “Yes,” Jess breathed. It was out in the open now, the thing he’d been planning on. Now he just needed to convince his father that it was the right thing to do.

            “That’s outrageous!” his father protested. “Jesse, we barely know that boy, and you’re suggesting we take him into our home?!”

            “He saved my life!” Jess flared back. His temper was rapidly vanishing. “Dad, he’s an orphan! He’s got no one to provide for him, and he looks like he’s being starved to death. It’s a miracle that he’s still alive right now, but if you put him back out on the streets, he won’t be for much longer! Are you going to do that to a kid?”

            John froze, mouth agape as Jess’s words hit him. He knew his father, and he knew exactly which arguments to use to make his case. The man seemed to deflate, all anger leaving him. Jess waited.

            “How old is he?” John asked finally, as if that somehow would be the deciding factor on the matter.

            “Fifteen, I think,” Jess replied.

            “And are you sure that this is what he wants?” his father pressed, all seriousness. “Even the best of intentions can go wrong if they’re unwanted.”

            “I haven’t asked him yet,” Jess admitted truthfully. He’d been afraid that if he had, Kai might refuse. But his father was right.

            “Then you should ask him,” John pointed out.

            “Does… Does that mean we’ll take him with us if he says yes?” Jess asked. His heart was racing at the thought.

            “If that’s what he wants,” John agreed, the hint of a smile ghosting across his face. “If not, then we’ll think of some other way to show him our gratitude.”

            Elation flooded through Jess. He’d known all along that he could get his father to agree to this; it wasn’t in his father’s nature to turn a blind eye to someone in need, though he’d never done something so extreme before. But believing he could convince his father to do this and hearing the words from his father’s own mouth were two different things.

            In a burst of exuberance, Jess flung himself at his father and wrapped his arms around him. Sputtering in surprise, John did not immediately reciprocate the embrace. When he did though, it was with more warmth than the two had shared in a long time.

            “This kid must really be something special,” John remarked before they pulled away.

            Jess wasn’t sure what he meant by that. He didn’t ask; instead, he took his phone back from his father.

            “I’ll go ask him now,” Jess said. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

            “You do that,” his father replied with a smile.

            Jess smiled back before making his way out of the room and back up the hall. He was so lost in his euphoria that he didn’t notice the innkeeper standing at the door to his room until he almost ran into her. The innkeeper didn’t notice him either. She was too focused on staring – glowering, even – at the merman in the doorway. Kai stood half hidden behind the door, looking like he wanted nothing more than to shrink out of existence. When his eyes darted from the innkeeper to Jess, fear was evident in those amethyst pools. The urge to step in between them and shield Kai with his own body caught Jess by surprise. He resisted it.

            “Can I help you?” Jess asked instead. A touch of flint crept into his voice.

            Startled, the innkeeper flinched and then shoved the tray of food she’d been holding in a white-knuckled grip at Kai. The merman fumbled with the tray, almost dropping it before he got a secure grip on it and disappeared quickly back into the room. Jess hurried to follow him in, but a sharp grip on his shoulder stopped him. The innkeeper leaned forward to murmur in his ear.

            “Don’t trust that creature, lad,” she hissed. “He’ll be the end of you. You should return it to the sea if ya know what’s good for you.”

            “Thanks, but I think I’ll take my chances,” Jess replied stiffly. He shrugged himself free of her grip and went into the room, closing the door firmly behind him.

            Inside, Kai was leaning over the bed, shaking, with the tray of food set on the nightstand. Concerned, Jess went to his side. He hesitated only a moment before placing a hand between Kai’s trembling shoulders and rubbing in soothing circles. He waited for the merman to speak.

            “She knows,” Kai whispered. It wasn’t a question.

            “I think so,” Jess agreed mildly. It surprised him how unconcerned that made him.

            “What is she going to do to me?” Kai whimpered, looking up at Jess with frightened eyes.

            “She can’t do anything to you,” Jess assured him with certainty. “I won’t let her.”

            At that, Kai turned and pressed himself against Jess’s chest, his face tucked into the crook of Jess’s shoulder. Jess blinked down at him in surprise before folding his arms around the trembling merman. He’d seen Kai vulnerable before, but this was the first time the merman had openly sought his comfort. Another whimper from Kai made him hold the merman all the tighter.

            “It’s ok,” Jess murmured, leaning his cheek on Kai’s hair. It smelled like the ocean. “You’re safe with me.”

            “I w-wish,” Kai mumbled into his shirt, and from the sound of it, the merman was on the verge of crying. “I wish we didn’t have to say goodbye so soon.”

            “You know,” Jess said after a pause, waiting to catch the merman’s full attention before he broached the topic, “We don’t have to say goodbye.”

            “What do you mean?” Kai asked, pulling back slightly to frown up at him.

            “Well, I talked with my dad about it, and you’re welcome to come back to Fogwood with us,” Jess offered, giving the merman a small smile. “If you want to, that is.”

            “Back to… Fogwood?” Kai echoed.

            “Yeah. You could live with us there,” Jess explained. He frowned a bit. “Would you want that?”

            “Oh Jess…” Kai breathed, pressing back into his chest, as if he were too shy to meet Jess’s eye. “Yes I would. Are you sure it’s ok for me to live with you?”

            “Of course!” Jess answered immediately. “I wouldn’t be offering if I wasn’t sure.”

            “Why are you doing this for me?” Kai mumbled, almost too quietly for Jess to hear.

            “Because,” Jess began, but he didn’t have a real answer to that question. He chose an answer that sounded closest to the truth. “I didn’t want you to be lonely anymore.”

            And with that, a sob broke from the merman. Worry filled Jess.

            “Kai?” he asked, hugging the merman to him. “Did I say something wrong?”

            “No, it’s not that,” Kai said, drawing back to give Jess a teary-eyed smile. “I’m just happy. Really happy.”

            Smiling back, Jess ventured to ask, “So does this mean you’ll be coming back with us?”

            “Yes,” Kai answered without hesitation.

            Positively grinning with delight, Jess folded the merman into another hug. On impulse he lifted Kai off his feet and spun around with him. Kai squeaked in surprise, his arms shooting out to wrap around Jess’s neck for support. Jess chuckled in response and set the merman down on the bed.

            “Let’s eat,” he suggested to the now blushing merman.

            He picked the tray up from the nightstand and set it down next to Kai before taking a seat himself. Tonight’s special was the pub’s mac and cheese again. Just looking at the gooey mound of cheese and pasta was enough to set Jess’s stomach to growling, reminding him of all the meals he’d missed over these last three days. There were no drinks to accompany their meal – thankfully, or else they would have spilled all over Kai when the innkeeper shoved the tray at him.

            Jess wasted no time in digging in. The homely meal filled him with warmth, and he sighed in contentment. Beside him, Kai seemed to be enjoying the meal as well. The merman wore a look of pleasure on his face as he savored each cheesy bite. It occurred to Jess that this must be the first home cooked meal Kai had had in over a century.

            When they were done, they gathered the plates onto the tray again. Jess’s plate was mostly clean, with a few remnants of gooey cheese stuck to its white surface. Kai’s plate on the other hand still had some pasta on it, though he was too full to finish it off. The merman looked ashamed to be wasting the last few bites of deliciousness.

            “Don’t worry about wasting food,” Jess told him. “When you’re full, you’re full. Don’t give yourself a stomach ache.”

            “I can’t remember the last time I wasted food,” Kai murmured, shaking his head. “In the ocean, you never know when you’ll eat again, so wasting isn’t an option. Not that I ever had enough to eat anyway.”

            Frowning, Jess rested a soothing arm across the merman’s shoulders. “You don’t have to worry about that anymore. We always have food in the house, and you’re welcome to eat as much as you want.”

            Kai smiled gratefully at him. For a while, the pair enjoyed a comfortable silence with Jess’s arm resting casually over the merman’s shoulders. The day had been filled with much planning and stress, but this moment made it all worthwhile. Tomorrow, Jess would be returning to Fogwood, and Kai would go with him.

            After a time, Kai shrugged Jess’s arm off and stood up.

            “I’d like to bathe before we sleep,” the merman said. “There wasn’t any soap that I could find at the marine center, and it’s been so long since I last had a proper bath.”

            “Of course,” Jess agreed. Now that Kai mentioned it, he could feel an overall sense of uncleanness that clung to him. But Kai deserved to bathe first. Jess could wait until the morning.

            While Kai was in the bathroom, Jess picked up the tray and moved it near the door so that he’d remember to take it out in the morning. He stripped himself of his worn and dirty clothing and took out some fresh pajamas, similar to the ones he’d been wearing. After a moment’s thought, he dug around in his suitcase until he found another old t-shirt, one that would fit Kai like a dress. He didn’t have any shorts that would fit the merman, but hopefully Kai could simply wear the shorts he’d picked out at the marine center underneath the oversized t-shirt. He went to the bathroom door and knocked.

            “Hey, Kai? I found a t-shirt that you can use as a nightshirt if you want,” Jess said through the closed door.

            The door opened just a fraction. One amethyst eye peered out at Jess from inside; the rest of the merman’s body was hidden behind the door. Jess did his best not to blush as he held the t-shirt up to show Kai. A slender hand slipped through the crack to take it from him.

            “Thank you,” Kai murmured softly as he brought the shirt inside.

            “No problem,” Jess said as the door clicked shut again.

            That done, Jess busied himself about the room again. He checked the contents of the dresser and closet to be sure he hadn’t stored anything in them before packing up his suitcase. Before zipping the suitcase up, he pulled out an outfit for tomorrow. It consisted of jeans and a t-shirt he’d gotten from the marine wildlife center where his father worked, the logo for the center taking up a small corner near one shoulder. He wondered briefly if he should try and see if there was something suitable for Kai in his suitcase, but he knew that most of his clothes would be far too big for the merman. Kai would be fine wearing his borrowed sweatshirt and shorts anyhow.

            When all the preparations for the return trip to Fogwood had been made, Jess climbed into the bed and pulled out his phone. He texted his father to let him know that Kai would be accompanying them after all.

_“That’s good to know! I’ll stop by in the morning to wake you boys before I get my morning coffee. Let’s try to be ready to go by 10am tomorrow. I want to be home by sundown.”_

            Jess sighed as he read the text. He’d forgotten about the long drive they had ahead of them. He wasn’t looking forward to spending all those hours trapped in the car. Well, at least he’d have a friend to keep him company this time around.

            After sending a quick affirmative to his father, Jess put his phone away and burrowed more deeply into the covers. He hadn’t realized how exhausted he was until his head hit the pillows. _Kai must be even more exhausted, since he did all the swimming today._ He thought, listening to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. _I’m glad he’s coming home with us. He shouldn’t have to go on living alone forever._

            With the sound of running water creating a soothing backdrop to his thoughts, Jess found himself unable to keep awake. He wasn’t sure exactly when his consciousness gave way to unconsciousness, but he became aware briefly of another body climbing into bed beside him before sleep took over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone thinks Kai's anxiety seems uncharacteristic of his personality, normally you'd be right. But keep in mind he's walking into a situation where he knows people would fear him for what he is and possibly try to harm him for it. Wouldn't you be nervous if you were in that kind of situation yourself?


	7. Chapter 7

            Jess woke early the next morning. He didn’t get up immediately, content to just lay there and absorb the warmth of the bed. The bed seemed warmer than usual though, and there was an unfamiliar weight lying beside him. Curious, Jess glanced about – and sat up in surprise. There was a boy in the bed with him! He looked down at the sleeping boy, blinking in confusion until the memories of the last three days came back to him.

            Kai was resting peacefully, undisturbed by Jess’s sudden movement. A few strands of thick raven hair had fallen in his face; Jess brushed them back. Kai’s face twitched slightly, but he did not wake. Jess smiled before climbing out of bed. He needed a shower.

            In the bathroom, Jess finally was able to look at himself in a mirror. His skin was darker than he remembered, with a faint reddish glow that spoke of days spent in the sun. The edge of a bruise could be seen receding into his hairline, and Jess grimaced. It would take several days for that bruise to fade.

_Well, there’s no use staring at myself…_ He turned to the bath and twisted the knobs. Water spouted from the faucet, crashing loudly against the porcelain tub. He quickly switched the faucet into shower mode and stripped himself of his pajamas. The water was cold when he stepped in, but it quickly warmed, wrapping him in steam.

            As he showered, his mind wandered back to the merman. He wondered what his life would be like now that Kai was in it. Would there be much of a change? He had no idea. It was impossible to see the future.

            When he was finished, he stepped out of the tub and toweled himself off. He looked around for his clothes, but they weren’t in the bathroom. He’d forgotten to bring them in with him. Muttering to himself, he wrapped the dampened towel around his waist and pushed his way out into the main room.

            In the bed, Kai was sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. He looked like he had just woken up. When he noticed Jess, he smiled a sweet, sleepy smile, the kind that came naturally when one was in a state of complete contentment. Jess returned the smile.

            “Good morning,” he said to the sleepy merman. “Have a good night’s sleep?”

            “The best sleep I’ve had in years,” Kai replied, his voice soft and warm with comfort.

            “That’s good,” Jess remarked. He went over to the dresser where his clothes were sitting. “We’d better start getting ready to go. Dad should be coming around to wake us any minute now.”

            As if on cue, there was a knock at their door.

            “Boys, it’s time to get up! We’ll be hitting the road in an hour,” John’s voice came muffled through the wooden door.

            “Ok, Dad, we’re up,” Jess called back.

            “Good. I’ll be out drinking coffee in the lobby when you’re ready. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get to Fogwood!”

            Jess hummed an acknowledgement under his breath, though he knew his father couldn’t hear it. The faint shuffling of footsteps told him that John had left to go in search of that coffee. Jess picked up his clothes and headed for the bathroom again.

            “I’ll be getting dressed in here,” he said to the merman. “Knock if you need anything.”

            He dressed swiftly and turned his attention to the finishing preparations for the day. As he was brushing his teeth, it occurred to him that Kai would need a toothbrush of his own. He didn’t have an extra toothbrush with him and somewhat guiltily hoped that the merman could forego brushing his teeth just one more day. They were bound to have some spares at home.

_He’s going to need a lot more than a toothbrush... He’ll need clothes. I probably don’t have anything in my closet that will fit him properly._

            He finished brushing his teeth and spat into the sink. When he looked up to check his appearance in the mirror, he noticed how tangled his hair was – more so than usual. He ran his fingers through his hair, wishing he’d packed his brush in preparation for the trip to Old Town, but he’d left it. It wasn’t unusual for him to go a few days without brushing his hair. That was one of the benefits of curls: they looked largely the same regardless of whether you brushed them or not. However, had he known that he’d be spending three days in the wilderness, he might have thought better of leaving his brush behind.

_Kai will probably need a hairbrush too. It’s a wonder how his hair isn’t as tangled as mine._

            Giving up on his hair, Jess gathered up his toiletries and used pajamas and brought them out to the main room to pack in his suitcase. He was almost ready to go now. Looking up, he saw that Kai was dressed too, wearing the donated sweatshirt and shorts. He was holding onto the shirt Jess had loaned him, as if he didn’t know what to do with it now. Jess held out his hand for it.

            “I’ll pack that now if you’re done with it,” he offered, and Kai gave it to him. “Ready to go?”

            “I think so,” Kai breathed. He sounded a bit overwhelmed by the prospect.

            Frowning, Jess set the shirt down and went to the merman. He rested a comforting hand on Kai’s shoulder. “You ok?”

            “Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just…” Kai swallowed and put on a nervous smile. “I’ve been living in the ocean for so long that it’s hard to believe that that’s all changing now.”

            “And are you ok with that?” Jess asked. He was nervous that Kai might choose that moment to change his mind, and though he wanted Kai to come with him, he knew he couldn’t force the merman to do something against his will. Still, he bit his tongue before he could point out that Kai was at liberty to leave anytime. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t mention it. It felt like selfishness to want to keep the obvious to himself.

            “Yes,” Kai said, and this time his smile radiated happiness. “I don’t think I’ll ever want to go back to the ocean if I can help it.”

            “Never?” Jess asked, frowning. “I thought the ocean was your home.”

            “It is, but it’s not a home I would have chosen for myself,” Kai replied. His forehead creased as a look of unhappiness settled upon him. “At least, I wouldn’t have chosen to live there the way I did. I… I used to love the ocean. Now, I don’t think I do anymore.”

            For some reason, that bothered Jess. He didn’t want Kai to hate the sea. It was, to him, like a second home. Perhaps that was because his father was a marine biologist and wildlife rescuer, and he often volunteered at the marine wildlife center where his father worked. Perhaps, on a deeper level, he felt that it was the sea that had brought the two of them together.

            Before Jess could say anything, his phone buzzed. He frowned. It couldn’t be ten o’clock yet, so he knew it wasn’t his father. Besides, his father would have more likely been knocking at the door if that was the case. He went over to his phone and flipped it open. A new text message sat in his inbox.

_“Dude, what the hell?! You can’t just disappear for a few days like that! Do you know how worried your dad was? He called MY DAD. This is totally unlike you, Jess. Oh, and another thing! Stop avoiding me, you jerk!”_

            His frown deepened until he was glaring at his phone. He flipped it closed, not even bothering to send a reply. That message was from someone he’d rather not talk to just yet. He still wasn’t sure whether he wanted her back in his life, now that he was trying to cleanse himself of trouble and temptation.

            Giving the room one last sweep, Jess gathered up his belongings and packed them in his suitcase. Once he was satisfied that all was accounted for, he zipped the duffle bag and stood it up on its wheels. After pulling out the handle, Jess turned and found Kai staring at his bag, a look of intrigue on his face. He raised a questioning eyebrow at the merman, not sure why he was taking such an interest in the suitcase.

            “I’ve never seen a trunk like that,” Kai remarked.

            “Oh? What’s different about it?” Jess asked curiously. Though he knew that Kai had been human once, it was easy to forget how long ago that had been and what kinds of things would be new to him now.

            “Everything,” Kai replied. “It’s not shaped like a box, and it looks soft. And it has wheels!”

            “I didn’t think wheeled suitcases were that recent of an invention,” Jess commented. He was intrigued now himself and made a mental note to look up when wheeled suitcases were invented later, when he’d have access to the internet. “Did you wanna take a look at it?”

            Nodding, Kai stepped closer and investigated the bag for himself. He felt the nylon canvas that the bag was made of and eyed the zippers with interest. The handle and wheels were the objects of critical appraisal.

            “It’s very clever, making it wheeled,” Kai said. “Trunks can be heavy when they’re packed full, and it takes two people to carry a big one. But the wheels fix that, don’t they?”

            Jess nodded in agreement. The duffle bag of course had other handles for carrying it by hand, but wheeling it was more convenient and saved time and energy, especially when the bag was heavy.

            Kai eyed the bag critically for another moment before catching Jess’s eye with a look of childlike curiosity.

            “It can’t be ridden, can it?” There was a touch of hope there, as if the merman was hoping that the answer was yes.

            “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Jess chuckled, surprised and amused by the question. “The handle bars wouldn’t make for a very comfortable seat, and it would add a lot of weight to the top of the bag and make it hard to wheel. Sometimes when it’s really full though and I’m just standing around, I’ll use it as a chair.”

            Kai giggled at that, and Jess found himself smiling, pleased to see the merman entertained. He made his way over to the door.

            “Ready to go?” he asked Kai again, one hand on the doorknob.

            “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Kai breathed, though he still looked a bit daunted by the prospect.

            Giving the merman an encouraging smile, Jess turned the knob and opened the door. They went out into the hall together. On his way out the door, Kai had picked up their tray from the previous night and was carrying it for them. They walked in silence towards the entrance room of the inn, and Jess could sense anxiety rising in the merman. He wondered if Kai was nervous about joining him in Fogwood, but when he noticed Kai’s eyes darting around the reception area of the inn, he realized that Kai was still fearing what the innkeeper might do if she saw him again. Fortunately, the innkeeper was nowhere in sight.

            Jess’s father was sitting in the reception area in one of the armrests, reading today’s newspaper. A coffee mug sat on the table beside him, and a small fire warmed the fireplace on that cool and damp morning. John looked up and smiled as the two of them came in.

            “You’re ready early,” the man said by way of greeting, folding the paper. “I suppose that’s a good thing. That will give us time to find a diner where we can have breakfast and plan our day. I’ve already paid for our rooms. Shall we go?”

            Both boys nodded, and John stood up. He brought the coffee mug over and set it on the tray Kai was carrying before taking the tray himself.

            “I’ll go get this put away and bring the car around if you two want to wait here,” John said before carrying the tray off.

            While he was gone, Jess took up the seat he had occupied. He cast a curious glance at the newspaper, but he was not interested in reading it. Kai had taken a seat in the armchair next to him, nearer to the warmth of the fire. The merman was frowning; that caught Jess’s attention.

            “Is something wrong?” he asked.

            Kai faced him with a look of perplexity before asking, “What’s a car?”

            The question caught Jess by surprise as he tried to think of a reasonable way to explain the motorized vehicle that he took for granted as just a regular part of everyday life. But to someone who wasn’t used to his everyday life, the concept might be confusing. He decided to ask a question of his own.

            “What year did you become a merman?”

            Kai frowned at him as he thought for a minute. Was that just concentration on his face, or was there pain there too? Jess hadn’t meant to remind the merman of the ordeal, but it would be good to know the year.

            “It was 1887, I think?” Kai replied, frowning as he tried to remember. “No, 1888. I was going to turn sixteen that year.”

            Jess resisted the urge to frown himself as his guess about the merman’s age was confirmed. He thought about the year instead, trying to place it on a mental timeline he’d had to construct for his history class. If he recalled correctly, the automobile had been invented in 1886, but he wasn’t entirely sure of his memory. Still, he thought that there was a chance that it had been invented before Kai had left the human realm.

            “Did you ever hear about or see an automobile?” Jess asked. “It would have been like a horseless carriage.”

            Kai seemed to think about the question with concentration before his face brightened and he nodded.

            “It looked kind of like a three-wheeled bicycle,” Kai commented. “One of the merchants who used our family’s shipping company had one. He was a very rich merchant. My father gave him a special deal if he’d let him try it. I got to sit in the seat next to him.”

            The look of fond remembrance and delight that glowed on Kai’s face was so endearing that Jess had to smile at him.

            “Well, automobiles have changed a lot since then,” he said. “They have four wheels now, and they don’t look like bicycles anymore. You’ll see what I mean when we get outside.”

            As if on cue, Jess caught sight of his father’s car pulling up in front of the inn. He stood, signaling Kai to stand too, and grabbed his suitcase. The pair made their way outside, where John’s silver sedan idled. Kai eyed the vehicle with round-eyed surprise and interest. Jess couldn’t help but grin, feeling strangely pleased by the merman’s reaction. The trunk of the car popped open, and he brought his bag around to put it in before closing it again.

            With his bag packed, Jess looked up to see that the expression on Kai’s face had changed to trepidation as he eyed the vehicle, uncertain of what he should be doing. Jess came around and opened one of the doors for him.

            “Slide in,” he encouraged.

            At Jess’s direction, the merman moved towards the car and climbed in, sliding across to the far side. Jess followed after and showed the merman how to buckle himself in, explaining that it was a safety precaution. He was uncomfortably aware of his father watching them in the rearview mirror and could hear every word.

            They were on their way a moment later. Kai was alternating between looking out the window and looking around the car, as if he couldn’t decide which was more interesting. Jess enjoyed the merman’s obvious curiosity. There wasn’t any conversation in the car, just the low tones of music coming from the radio. It was a comfortable, not quite silence.

            Within ten minutes they had arrived at a diner at the edge of town, just off the side of the main highway. Cars zipped passed them on their way to the Delta Bridge. Jess climbed out of the car first and held the door open for Kai as the merman slid across the seats. When he was out of the car, Kai glanced around in all directions. Apprehension was clear on his face.

            “Nervous?” Jess asked. He kept his voice low so the words would not carry beyond Kai’s ears.

            “Yes,” Kai admitted, catching his eye. “It’s been so long since I’ve been around other people. What if they notice there’s something wrong with me?”

            “There’s nothing wrong with you,” Jess protested.

            “Different, then,” Kai amended, and Jess noticed that the merman wasn’t exactly agreeing with his statement.

            He couldn’t deny Kai’s concerns though. With such vibrantly purple eyes, the merman was bound to catch someone’s attention.

            “I don’t think anyone’s going to know what you are,” Jess said instead. “If anyone starts asking questions though, I’ll think of something to tell them.”

            Kai seemed no less nervous, but he smiled gratefully at Jess all the same. Seeing the merman like this, anxious but gathering his courage, filled Jess with a sudden protectiveness. He wanted to take away all of Kai’s fears and to be near to him. He resisted the urge as best he could, seeking out Kai’s hand with his instead. The small gesture was enough to relieve some of the nervousness from Kai’s face though, and that was enough for Jess.

            They didn’t hold hands for long though. As Jess’s father came around from his side of the car to join them, Jess hastily dropped Kai’s hand. Embarrassment threatened to redden his cheeks. Despite the embraces they’d shared the previous night, the Azure family was not a particularly physically affectionate family, and Jess wasn’t sure what his father would think of seeing him holding hands with another boy. He didn’t want to risk his father reading too much into it. After all, he was just comforting the merman, like any good friend would do.

            Together, the trio headed into the diner. At the direction of the “Please seat yourself” sign, they chose a booth in one of the windows. A waitress hurried over and set menus and glasses of water at their table before scurrying away again. John and Jess immediately opened their menus, but Kai hesitated to do the same. Jess glanced at him, and from the merman’s blank face, he wondered if the merman was having trouble reading the menu. It dawned on him then that Kai might not be able to read at all. He leaned over to whisper in Kai’s ear.

            “Do you need help reading?” he asked quietly.

            “N-no, I can read fine. It’s just… I’ve never eaten at a place like this,” Kai admitted in a rush. He looked up at Jess with a face filled with anxiety. “I don’t know what to do.”

            “I can order for you if you want,” Jess offered. “Does that help?”

            “I don’t know what to order.”

            Frowning, Jess turned his attention back to the menu. He glanced through it, trying to think of something that the merman might like. But the problem was he didn’t know what Kai would like, or if he would even be familiar with any of these food items. He’d been thinking of ordering a hearty meal of eggs, ham, and hash browns for himself. Would Kai like any of those things? He didn’t know.

            Then his eyes landed on a menu item that caught his attention: the breakfast sampler. It offered an array of hash browns, sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, mini pancakes, and a bowl of fresh fruit, and judging from the picture, it could easily feed two people. He’d have to forego the ham, but he could manage without it.

            When the waitress came around again to take their orders, John ordered the eggs benedict and Jess requested the breakfast sampler for he and Kai to split. The waitress inquired about drink requests, to which John responded with an order for coffee. Jess opened his mouth, about to say that he and Kai would be fine with water, when the merman surprised him by requesting orange juice. His voice was high and shrill, and the waitress paused to give him a curious look. Kai shrank back minutely, and Jess felt the merman press unconsciously into his side. The waitress didn’t seem to notice Kai’s fear though.

            “Sure thing, sweetheart,” she said after a moment. “Can I get anything else fer you gentlemen?”

            After getting a collective “no” from the table, the waitress left to place their orders. Kai sagged against Jess’s side, evidently relieved that the ordeal was over. Underneath the table, where Jess’s father couldn’t see, one cool hand brushed against Jess’s, seeking comfort. He gave himself up to the silent request, folding Kai’s hand between his own. _He’s so cold. Why is he always so cold?_

            “So, Kai,” John spoke up, startling them both out of their private sanctuary. “Are there any belongings we need to pick up for you from that warehouse before leaving town?”

            “N-no,” Kai stammered, sitting up straight. Jess felt a twinge of disappointment when he took his hand with him.

            “Well then, are there any friends you’d like to say goodbye to before we leave? Chances are we won’t be back for quite some time, and Fogwood is a long drive from here,” John continued.

            “N-no, I–” Kai paused, his eyes seeking out Jess’s before they dropped to the table. “I have no one.”

            A wave of sympathy crashed over Jess. He had known of Kai’s loneliness almost from the beginning, but he hadn’t grasped just how long Kai must have endured until just then, knowing everything he knew about Kai now. His father must have felt the same rush of sympathy that he felt, for he leaned across the table, eyes softening.

            “Well now you have us,” John said. “We’re going to be a family now. It may be awkward at first, and we’re certainly not what you’d call a traditional family, but we’ll make it work.”

            Jess watched as an array of emotions played across Kai’s face, from shock to hope and longing. Tentatively the merman smiled at John, then, as if overwhelmed by happiness, his smile grew. It warmed Jess’s heart to hear those words from his father and see Kai’s reaction to them, and he found himself smiling too.

            Just then, the waitress brought out their orders to them. The breakfast sampler went in the center of the table, along with a pair of plates, while John was served his breakfast directly. Kai eyed the platter before them but made no move to take anything. Jess, sensing his hesitation, picked up the plates and handed one to Kai.

            “Serve yourself,” he encouraged before forking some scrambled eggs onto his plate.

            Following Jess’s lead, Kai began helping himself to the food. He served himself some of the mini pancakes and sausages, no more than two of each. He started to reach for the bowl of fresh fruits and berries but stopped, as if he felt that he wasn’t allowed to take more food. Noticing this, Jess picked the bowl up and set it down next to Kai’s plate.

            “I’m not a big fruit fan, so you can have these,” Jess offered.

            Surprised, Kai looked from the fruit to him. “Are you sure?”

            “Of course,” Jess replied.

            Delighted, Kai gave him a brilliant smile that had Jess staring, soaking in every moment of it. He glanced away sharply, color rising in his cheeks, but Kai didn’t seem to notice his embarrassment. The merman was preoccupied with popping a cube of melon into his mouth, delight still evident on his face.

            The table lapsed into silence after that as they ate, and without the distraction of conversation, they were soon finished with their meal. They all slid out of the booths, leaving plates and napkins behind, and at the suggestion of Jess’s father, Jess and Kai went to use the restrooms while he paid for their bill. It would be a long ride home, and Jess recalled that his father wanted to make as few stops as possible.

            Once everyone was ready, the trio made their way out to the car. While John slid into the driver’s seat and started the ignition, Jess took a moment to show Kai how to open the car door by himself before hurrying around to get in on the other side. They were on their way in a few minutes.

            The first hour seemed to pass quickly. No one talked much, but the car wasn’t quiet. The radio kept up a constant stream of oldies music, songs which Jess had heard in his childhood that brought back memories of weekends spent in the car with his mother and father. The nostalgia was both pleasant and painful, and Jess found himself wishing he hadn’t forgotten his MP3 player with all his favorite songs at home. Curse his forgetfulness.

            More hours passed, and Jess was beginning to get bored. There were scientific magazines tucked into the back pocket of the seat in front of him, but he had already read those on the trip to Old Town, and it didn’t look like his father had collected any new ones during the recent convention. To pass the time, Jess found himself observing Kai. The merman never seemed to tire of watching the landscape of the Falen coastline fly by. He was twisted in his seat, facing outwards, and in the faint reflection of the car window, Jess could see the wide-eyed wonder that seemed permanently engraved on the merman’s face. It brought a smile to his own face.

            Nearly four hours into the trip, John pulled the car into a large gas station for a fill up. The station boasted a small variety of fast food restaurants inside, and John handed Jess a twenty dollar bill.

            “Go stretch your legs and get yourselves some lunch,” John instructed. “I’ll be along once the tank is full.”

            Taking the money, Jess led Kai carefully through the parking lot and inside the station. He tried to lead Kai straight to the mini food court, but the merman was distracted by the trinkets and baubles on display.

            “Look at this!” Kai exclaimed, holding up a keychain for Jess’s inspection.

            Jess examined the keychain. It wasn’t very special, just an ordinary keychain shaped like a dolphin. Perhaps the thing that had drawn Kai’s attention to it though was that it had a name on it. Jess’s name.

            “I know it says ‘Jesse,’ but it is your name,” Kai pointed out, looking proud. “I want to see if I can find my name!”

            Amused by Kai’s obvious enthusiasm, Jess offered, “I’ll buy one for you if we have any money left from lunch.”

            Kai’s eyes grew so wide with surprise and hopefulness that Jess had to smile.

            “Really?” Kai asked, as if he couldn’t believe his ears.

            “Sure,” Jess agreed. Those eyes were too endearing to say no to.

            The smile he received then was just as radiant with delight as the one he’d received in the diner, and this time Jess found himself smiling back. It warmed him to the core to be the cause of such an expression, and he felt a real sense of contentment that he hadn’t known in years.

            “Let’s go get our food first,” he suggested, and Kai quickly nodded in agreement and returned the keychain to the display.

            In the food court though, they encountered a problem. It was quite crowded, and that was making Kai nervous. In addition to that, Kai wasn’t familiar with the fast food restaurants and what they served. Jess had to steer them into a quiet corner of the room and read the menus off to him, squinting to compensate for the distance.

            Finally they decided on fried chicken and approached the respective counter. Kai remained quiet while Jess ordered, hanging back. Their order came out to just under thirteen dollars, giving them seven to spare. Jess thanked the cashier, grabbed the two cups he was handed along with the receipt and change, and turned to face Kai. He offered one of the cups to Kai and led him over to the drink dispenser. After showing Kai how to work the machine, he led the merman over to a quiet table and waited for their order number to be called.

            They didn’t wait long. As their number was called, Jess stood to retrieve their food. Kai made a hesitant move to stand as well, his eyes on Jess as if looking for some cue as to what he should be doing. There was tension and uncertainty in his movements, and it was obvious to Jess that the merman was ill at ease in this crowded setting.

            “You can wait here if you’d prefer,” Jess suggested. “I’m just going to bring the food right back here anyway. I don’t need any help with getting it.”

            If anything, the merman looked even less pleased with this suggestion, but he sat back down anyway with a tight-lipped frown. Jess offered him a reassuring smile.

            “I’ll be right back,” he promised before ducking away from the table.

            When he returned with their tray of food, Jess was pleased to see that his father had joined Kai at their table and that the merman seemed to have calmed down in his presence. John nodded a greeting to Jess as he set the tray down in front of Kai and slid into the seat beside him. He held a receipt in one hand, still waiting for his own order to be fixed.

            “We’re covering a lot of distance, but we got off to a later start than I’d planned after stopping in that diner this morning,” John remarked as Jess settled into his seat. “This will have to be a short stop. Is that alright with you boys?”

            “Do you think there’s time to look in the gift shop a little bit?” Jess asked. “I promised Kai that I’d buy him something with the leftover money from lunch, if that’s alright with you.”

            “That should be doable,” John agreed.

            Pleased, Jess turned his attention to their meal. Kai had already taken his portion and was sampling the chicken. His eyes lit up with pleasure as he bit into it.

            “This is good!” he declared after the first bite.

            “Glad you like it,” Jess replied, smiling.

            They became absorbed in the task of devouring their food, and Kai made similar remarks about the fries and biscuit that accompanied his chicken. John smiled indulgently at the merman, and Jess got the sense that his father was wondering if Kai had never tasted fried chicken before. Jess, on the other hand, was reminded of how long Kai had gone without eating normal food like this, surviving off of only what he could find in the ocean – barely surviving, at that.

            By the time they finished, John’s order number was only just being called.

            “We’ll go check out the gift shop now,” Jess said as he gathered up their trash on the tray.

            “That’s fine. Try to be ready by the time I’m done eating,” John replied.

            “Will do,” Jess agreed before standing, taking the tray and Kai with him.

            After disposing of their trash and returning the tray, the two of them headed into the gift shop. While Kai went straight to the keychain display, Jess took his time exploring the rest of the store. His boredom during the earlier drive prompted him to check out the meager book stand. Nothing particularly caught his attention though, and he found himself wishing he hadn’t rushed through the last few chapters of the book he’d been reading the night before the trip to Old Town. It had been a good book though, following the exploits of a dragon and a dragon slayer as they tentatively set aside their differences to become friends, and he had been eager to finish it.

            With one last sweeping glance over the book stand, Jess headed back to Kai. The merman was clutching something in his hands, but judging by the frown that creased his face, Jess could guess that it wasn’t what he’d been looking for.

            “Did you find what you wanted?” he asked as he approached.

            Kai shook his head. “There aren’t any keychains with my name on them.”

            “That’s unfortunate,” Jess murmured. “Did you find something else you wanted?”

            Kai hesitated, biting his lip. Finally he brought the object in his hands out for Jess to see. “If it’s not too much… Can I have this one instead?”

            It was the keychain with Jess’s name on it, he noticed with surprise.

            “Why do you want this one?” he couldn’t help but ask.

            “I… I just-” Kai broke off, suddenly blushing. He spun around and made to put the keychain back on the display. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked.”

            “Wait, I didn’t say you couldn’t get it!” Jess reassured quickly. “I was just wondering why you wanted the one with my name in particular. Forget I asked.”

Kai paused, absorbing Jess’s words before clasping the keychain to his chest as if it were a precious heirloom. His voice was soft as he said, “I wanted something that reminds me of you.”

            Now it was Jess’s turn to blush.

            “Well, let’s go pay for it,” he mumbled, unsure of how else to respond.

            Hearing that brought a smile to Kai’s face. It was a small, shy smile that in combination with the rosy hue of his cheeks seemed even more endearing than Kai’s radiant smile of delight from earlier, if that were possible. Jess couldn’t help but stare, captivated by it. He shook his head to clear it, feeling heat rise in his cheeks again.

            Without another word, Jess turned and paced towards the checkout counter, Kai following quietly in his tracks. The cashier, a balding man who looked like he would rather be doing anything else but his job, eyed them impatiently from behind the counter as they approached. Kai, with some hesitation and an encouraging word from Jess, brought his keychain up to the counter and set it down before scuttling back to Jess’s side.

            “That’ll be four dollars and twenty nine cents,” the cashier announced after scanning the item. “Cash or card?”

            “Cash,” Jess said, pulling the spare bills from his pocket and stifling a grumble. The keychain was more expensive than it was worth, in his opinion, but he wouldn’t refuse to buy it, knowing how much it was worth to Kai. He handed over the money.

            There was a _ding_ as the register drawer popped out. The cashier fingered the money furtively before filing it away, pulling out a few coins in exchange. He dropped the coins into Jess’s outstretched palm before closing the drawer firmly and promptly ignoring his most recent customers. Jess stifled another grumble at the man’s rudeness and grabbed the keychain. He offered it to Kai, and the merman clutched it to his chest again.

            They turned away from the counter in time to see John approaching them.

            “Looks like you found something,” John said, nodding to the keychain which was barely visible between Kai’s closed fingers.

            Kai nodded, keeping it clutched close. John Azure, being the type of father who didn’t pry and knew that open, willing communication was the best way to raise a child, didn’t ask to see it. And judging by the degree of protectiveness with which the merman held the keychain, Jess could guess that Kai would be reluctant to show it.

            “Are we all set to hit the road again?” John asked.

            After getting another nod from Kai, Jess said, “I think so.”

            “Good. Then let’s head out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case no one guessed it, the book mentioned is Arianwen44's book, Frozen Fire ;3
> 
> We've caught up on all the chapters I have already written. Currently chapter 8 is only halfway done, and I cannot give an estimate on when it will be posted. My goal is to have it done within 2 weeks so that I can keep up with the trend of posting a chapter every other week, but I make no guarantees. After chapter 8, the updates will really become unpredictable and sporadic, unfortunately ^^' Bear with me, guys.


	8. Chapter 8

            The sun was sinking into the bay when they rounded the last curve of cliff face and came upon the town. It was one of those early autumn days before the fog rolled in, when the town could be seen sprawling in its entirety in the crescent-shaped valley. The view was spectacular, and for a moment Jess could only stare as his hometown lay before him. And then he remembered who he was with.

            “Look!” he said to Kai and pointed out the window. “That’s our home!”

            Curious, Kai leaned forward until he was almost in Jess’s lap and stared out the window. The merman’s nearness drew his attention away from the view, and he found himself watching Kai’s face for his reaction. The merman wore an expression that was almost critical as he took in his first impression of Fogwood.

            “So what do you think?” Jess asked, expelling the breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding until Kai sat back in his seat. He tried to convince himself that the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach was just his desire for the merman to like the town. Fogwood meant the world to Jess; it was his home – and he wanted to share that home with Kai.

            “It suits you,” Kai pronounced with satisfaction.

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” Jess asked, bemused. What an odd thing to say…

            “It means that looking out there makes me think of you,” Kai said.

            “Oh.” Jess wasn’t sure if he was intended to take that as a compliment or not, but he received it with an odd sense of pleasure nonetheless. His cheeks were warming, much to his embarrassment, but he ignored it enough to ask, “So then, do you like it?”

            “Of course!” Kai declared with a smile.

            Such a smile was contagious, and Jess returned it in kind before turning to watch their descent into the town. The coastal highway wound around the cliff face for a minute or so more before it climbed down a gentle slope and meandered into the town. The highway was established not five blocks from the beach and ran parallel to its length, and every now and then the ocean could be glimpsed between buildings, glowing orange and gold with the sunset. Long shadows filled the spaces between those bright flashes, and everywhere one looked, the town was preparing for evening.

            Jess drank in the familiar scenery with greed. He knew these streets better than he knew himself; he could navigate them blind if he had to. Here was the old movie theater that could only host two movies at a time but offered an amazing sit-in dining experience to make up for it. And there was his favorite Mom and Pop Pizza Shop with the mini arcade full of all the classic videogames. And a few blocks down the street from that was the karaoke bar where he used to spend most days of summer singing with his then-best friend. Nearly eighteen years he had spent in this town, and everywhere he looked came with memories of good times past.

            The car turned up a side road, away from the beach and up a small slope. They were nearing their house now. By the time they pulled into the familiar driveway, Jess’s eagerness to be home had grown into an almost painful yearning. It felt like years had passed since he had been home, though in reality less than a week had gone by. If he had been in a state of mind to consider how in such a short time his world could change so dramatically, he would have been unsettled by it all. But at present, he was much too absorbed in his homecoming to care.

            When he was finally able to step out of the car and into the garage, Jess paused to breathe in the familiar air. His relief was palpable, and he turned to grin at Kai as the merman emerged from the car. Kai smiled back before looking around his new surroundings, his eyes darting this way and that. The trunk of the car popped open, and Jess went to retrieve the luggage while at last his father emerged from the vehicle.

            “Ready to check out your new home?” Jess asked Kai as he came around to stand beside the merman.

            Kai nodded, though his eyes still roamed distractedly around the garage. When they settled on a group of glass boxes sitting empty upon a shelf, he pointed to them and asked, “What are those?”

            “Those are some of our old fish tanks,” John answered, joining them. “We’ve kept a lot of fish over the years, but these days I can’t find the time to care for too many aquariums. But I keep those tanks around just in case.” This last part he added with a wink.

            “I see,” Kai murmured, still staring at the tanks.

            “Do you like fish?” John asked with a touch of hopefulness that belied someone with an uncommon hobby searching for others to share that interest with.

            “I do,” Kai responded. A wrinkle formed above his nose as he added quickly, “but not to eat.”

            “Well, we don’t eat much fish in the Azure home,” John chuckled, “but I do have two tanks with fish in them if you’d like to help me care for them. And maybe together we can get one of those old tanks set up sometime.”

            “Really?” Kai asked, his eyes growing wide.

            “Sure,” John said. “With a little extra help with caring for the tanks, I’m sure I could manage running a third tank. I’ve had this nice plan for setting up a reef tank for a while now.”

            “Oh no, here comes the fish talk.” Jess faked a groan. It wasn’t that he particularly minded all this talk about fish and tanks, but knowing his father, once he got started on the subject, the conversation would never end.

            “Don’t mind Jess, he’s just not as interested in fish as we are,” John chuckled in a teasing tone, patting one of Jess’s shoulders affectionately.

            Jess rolled his eyes. It wasn’t the perfect truth. He was very interested in fish, but unlike his father, who liked to design his own environments to house fish in, he liked to observe them in their natural environment. It’s what he wanted to do for a living.

            “Since you’re so tired of listening to fish talk all the time, why don’t you go show Kai around the house?” John suggested, his voice still warm with amusement.

            “Of course,” Jess said, shouldering his duffle bag. He made to hand his father’s bag to the man, but John waved it away.

            “Will you put it up in my room for me?” John asked. “I have to make sure there are fresh sheets in the guest bedroom. It seems we’ll be getting some use out of it after all.”

            Jess nodded before adjusting the bags once more. He caught Kai’s eye before moving towards the garage door. Inside, the house was mostly dark with the exception of a light coming from the end of the hallway that the garage opened up into. The light source was a hanging fixture suspended midair above a fish tank. Kai, with obvious interest, made straight for the tank with Jess following on his trail.

            The tank was the largest of John Azure’s collection. It spanned nearly the entire width of the hallway and stood almost as tall as Jess on its wooden stand. Kai had his face nearly pressed to the glass, peering into the tank. A cloud of shimmering blue tetras swarmed forward to meet him, eagerly begging for food, while a dozen larger fish hung back in the shadows. The water was a murky shade of brown from the large pieces of wood that decorated it, and in the corners grew thick bushels of plants.

            “What kinds of fish are these?” Kai asked, barely taking his eyes off the tank.

            “Well, the little ones in front of you are cardinal tetras,” Jess replied, “and the big, round ones near the back there are discus.”

            “They’re beautiful,” Kai breathed.

            “They do come in some pretty cool colors and patterns,” Jess agreed, eyeing the fish himself.

            “Do they all have names?” Kai asked, finally breaking eye contact with the fish to look up at Jess.

            “The tetras don’t, but I’m sure the discus do,” Jess replied. “I only know the names of the two big ones though, since they were Dad’s first pair. The blue and red one is Aristotle, and the red one with the white marbling is Shakespeare.”

            “Do you have a favorite?” Kai asked, smiling.

            “I like Shakespeare,” Jess commented decisively. “He has nice markings. Is there one that you like?”

            Smiling, Kai pointed at one of the smaller discus, a yellow one with black fins. They fell silent watching the fish for a few moments before Jess caught Kai’s attention once more.

            “Let’s get back to the tour,” he suggested to the merman. “You’ll have plenty of time to look at the fish some more another time.”

            Kai nodded, and Jess led them back up the hallway. On their left was the door they’d just come through. On their right was another door, inside of which was the guest bedroom. The door was already open with light streaming out, and Jess poked his head around the doorframe to see his father changing the sheets on the bed.

            “The room’s not quite ready yet,” John informed them as he caught sight of the pair in the doorway.

            “That’s fine. We haven’t finished touring the house yet,” Jess said.

            “Then you two get on with that, and I’ll let you know when I’m finished,” John said, waving them away.

            Jess nodded and shuffled passed with Kai on his heels. The hallway widened somewhat as they passed by another room – the guest bathroom – on their right before it opened up into a wide open space that was loosely designated into three separate areas: the living room which took up most of the left side of the space, and the kitchen and dining room on the right. Jess led Kai over to the closest of these areas – the dining room, which consisted only of a large dining table with six chairs arranged around it.

            “We don’t usually have big family dinners, so this corner serves as our dining room,” Jess informed Kai as they passed by it. “We only use it two or three times out of the year though, so most of the time this table is just sitting here gathering dust.”

            The next area to tour was the kitchen, complete with a combination island and bar with three bar stools. Jess didn’t lead the merman over to it but instead paused in the space between the kitchen and dining area, where blinds hung from floor to ceiling, concealing the wall behind. He drew back the blinds to reveal a sliding glass door that gave entry to the backyard. Kai approached the sliding glass door with a look of pleasure.

            “There’s a pool and a deck in the backyard,” Jess remarked, pointing them out in the gathering dusk. “We have a grill too, but we don’t really use it anymore.”

            “It looks lovely,” Kai commented, peering through the glass. “I’d like to go swimming in the summer, but that would be a problem if you have a saltwater pool.”

            “It’s regular freshwater,” Jess assured him, and then frowned. “But it is chlorinated. Do you think the chlorine will affect your legs?”

            “I don’t know,” Kai mused thoughtfully, frowning himself.

            “We’ll just have to pick a day when Dad isn’t home and experiment with that then,” Jess said.

            They moved away from the sliding glass door and past the kitchen into the living room. The space was marked by a couch and matching love seat that defined its boundaries. In the center of the room was a coffee table, and pressed against the wall opposite the couch was a large television.

            “We spend most of our time in this room,” Jess informed the merman. “A lot of the time, if we’re not eating at the bar in the kitchen, we’ll eat over here.”

            “Your eating habits are very different from what my family’s habits were,” Kai commented.

            “Oh? How so?” Jess couldn’t help but ask.

            “Well, my family had a big dining hall, and we ate every meal in there,” Kai said. “Your eating habits seem much more lax.”

            “That sounds very…” Jess trailed off, searching for the right word. _Stiff,_ he wanted to say. “Proper.”

            “It was,” Kai agreed, picking his way around the space. “My family was always proper. You had to be, to uphold the image of being upper class merchants.”

            “You mentioned that your family ran a shipping company?” Jess inquired, thinking of their earlier conversation about automobiles.

            “Yes, the New Falen Shipping Company,” Kai said. “My father and my uncle founded the company. They started with a single ship, but they built their business on reliability and speed.”

            “The New Falen Shipping Company?” Jess’s eyes widened. “That’s one of the oldest and most well-known overseas shipping companies in the country!”

            Kai smiled, as if hearing this made him proud. “My cousin and I were being groomed to take over the company when our fathers retired. It’s funny, he used to hate all the talk about boats and business, but it sounds like he did really well for himself.”

            The smile faded, replaced by a haunted expression upon Kai’s face. Jess frowned. He would have liked to ask more questions about Kai’s family, but he could see that the subject would cause the merman pain. A thought occurred to him though that like most old and renowned companies, there might be books written about the New Falen Shipping Company, and perhaps he could read them to find out a little more about Kai’s past.

            “What’s this?” Kai asked.

            Jess was snapped out of his thoughts to see the merman standing in front of the TV, gazing at it inquisitively.

            “That’s a television,” Jess replied. “It plays moving pictures.”

            “Moving pictures?” Kai echoed, his brow furrowing in obvious bemusement.

            “Well,” Jess began, trying to think of something to compare it to. “Have you ever been to a play?”

            “Like a stage performance?” Kai asked.

            “Yeah, that,” Jess said. “This is like seeing a play performed in your own home, all inside this little box.”

            Seeing Kai’s growing confusion, Jess tried again. “You’ve seen photographs, right? Do you know how they’re made?”

            “There’s a machine that makes an image of whatever is placed in front of it,” Kai said, “but that’s all I know.”

            “Right! It’s a lot like that,” Jess said, “only, the machine doesn’t just capture the still image. It records movements and sounds, and instead of printing the image out, the recording gets projected onto screens, like this television screen, and thus you can see and hear everything that was recorded. Here, I’ll show you.”

            Jess reached for the remote, and with the touch of a button, he turned the TV on. Kai startled back as the screen changed from blank to the image of a dolphin. The dolphin seemed to be inspecting them through the screen before it darted off to join its companions. A voice laden with the Falen Delta accent was playing in the background, educating viewers about the curious creatures.

            “That’s incredible,” Kai breathed, wide-eyed. He edged closer and reached out to brush his fingers delicately over the screen, as if he couldn’t quite believe his eyes.

            “You can change what the screen plays and how loud the audio is by pressing buttons on this remote controller,” Jess said, coming over to show the device to the merman. He pressed a few buttons to demonstrate.

            “Amazing,” Kai murmured as the screen changed before him. If his eyes got any wider, Jess thought they would be in danger of falling out of his head. It was kind of adorable, actually.

            “I’ll show you how to work it later,” Jess chuckled, switching the TV off. “For now, let’s get on with the tour.”

            Kai hesitated to be parted from the TV, and when he did turn away from it, Jess caught a glint of disappointment in his eyes. That brought a smile of affection to his face, and he took the merman’s hand to lead him out of the living room. Just beyond its boundaries were the front door and the stair case that would bring them up to the second floor of the house. Jess led Kai up the stairs.

            Once at the top of the stairs, Jess turned to his right, where a hallway opened up between two rooms. He opened the door on the left and was struck by a wave of relief to be greeted by the sight of his room. The light that he switched on cast a welcoming glow on his bed in the far corner of the room. Across from the bed was his desk and lamp, and in the middle of the room sat his beanbag chair, right where he’d left it.

            “This is my room,” Jess informed the merman, whose head was peeking curiously over his shoulder. “You can come in if you want. It’s a little messy though.”

            As he spoke, he eyed the mass of dirty clothes that was accumulating in a pile beside the nightstand next to his bed. He shuffled over to the pile and set his duffle bag in front of it, knowing that soon he would add its contents to the pile. Kai entered on silent feet behind him, his eyes sweeping the room with quiet curiosity. The merman’s eyes lingered on the desk and the small collection of books stacked on it.

            “It looks very homely,” Kai remarked. His eyes flitted to the beanbag chair, and he asked, “What is the lumpy sack for, though?”

            “This?” Jess asked, plopping down on it. “This is my beanbag chair.”

            “It’s a… chair?” Kai said, his brow furrowing.

            “It doesn’t look like one, but yeah,” Jess replied, patting it. “It’s pretty comfortable as a reading chair. Wanna try it?”

            Looking unconvinced, Kai nodded dubiously, and Jess stood up again to allow him a turn. The merman lowered himself into the chair delicately, as if he were afraid of breaking it. When he finally allowed himself to relax into it, his face was awash with uncertainty.

            “What do you think?” Jess asked, smiling encouragingly at the merman.

            “It’s… comfy, I suppose,” Kai responded. He sat up straight. “I’m not sure if I like it though.”

            “It does take some getting used to,” Jess agreed, “but it’s more comfortable than sitting in a normal desk chair with a rigid back for hours on end.”

            “I guess it would be,” Kai conceded as he got to his feet.

            “Ready to continue the tour?” Jess asked.

            With a nod from Kai, Jess led the way back out into the hallway. He paused briefly to point at the door on the opposite wall.

            “That’s the laundry room,” he informed Kai. “We wash and fold our clothes in there. Dad and I will show you how to use the washer and dryer some other time though, so we don’t have to look in there now. The linen closet is in there, though, so if you ever need a fresh set of sheets or a clean towel, that’s where they are.”

            They continued with the tour. Jess pointed out his bathroom, which shared a wall with his bedroom. All that was left now was to show Kai the master bedroom which his father occupied. Jess reached for the doorknob, hesitating briefly before turning it. For a moment, he expected the room to be as it was four years ago, unchanged in his mother’s absence, and that he might find her there, smiling and welcoming him in. Of course she wasn’t, and the room he stared into was as unfamiliar as if he were in a stranger’s house.

            The walls had been repainted, and many photos had been removed. Where his mother’s piano had been, a desk and file cabinets now stood. Even the bed had been replaced with a smaller one more suitable to one person sleeping alone.

            This was the part that he couldn’t get used to. In time, he had grown accustomed to the ways his mother’s death had altered his life and his home, but this had been _her_ place. He still remembered the days when he would come home from school and listen to her giving piano lessons to the town’s children while he sprawled out on the floor, doing homework or daydreaming. Those were some of the sweetest memories he had of her, and now he felt like he could barely feel his mother’s presence here anymore.

            A cool touch on his arm snapped him back to attention, and he realized that he’d been standing frozen in the doorway. Kai was staring up at him, concern lining his face.

            “Jess? Is everything alright?” he asked softly.

            “I’m fine,” Jess answered automatically. He tried to muster a reassuring smile for Kai, but it didn’t sit well on his face. He shook his head instead. “It’s nothing.”

            Kai frowned at him, unconvinced, but the merman did not press. Instead he leaned into Jess, his hand sliding down Jess’s arm to clasp their fingers together. That quiet gesture of support gave Jess the strength that he needed to cross the threshold into the room.

            The room wasn’t as completely changed as Jess first imagined. The curving couch that sat across from his parents’ dresser and TV was still there, and in a couple spaces around the room, he could find an old photo or two that he recognized. One of these in particular seemed to grab at Kai’s attention. The merman went over to it to inspect it more closely. It was a small photo, framed in a horseshoe that sat upon the desk. Kai picked it up.

            “Is this your mother?” he asked, looking up at Jess.

            “Yes,” Jess answered shortly. It was an old photo of her wearing a cowgirl-style hat and standing under a banner that read: “Lucky Peak Ranch.” She was brimming with life and happiness as she grinned out at them. A lump rose in his throat.

            “I can see who you get your hair from,” Kai commented, giving him a soft smile. It was what everyone noticed first about the mother and son, their nearly identical red curls.

            Jess didn’t say anything as he stared at the photo. He still remembered making it for her, cobbling the frame together out of a pair of spare horseshoes he had found. It was a gift.

            His silence must have persisted for too long, for Kai’s smile faded, and the merman asked quietly, “Did something happen to her?”

            “She died four years ago,” Jess stated. His voice came out flat, hollow.

            “I’m so sorry,” Kai murmured with deep sympathy. It was what everyone said when they found out. Jess hated it. He didn’t want sympathy or condolences; he wanted his mother back.

            “It was a horseback riding accident,” he continued. The words felt like sandpaper, rubbing him raw as they came out. “Mom… She loved horses, and… I just keep thinking, why’d she have to die like _that?_ ”

            Cool hands upon his cheeks startled him back to the present, and Jess stared into Kai’s eyes. The merman was frowning at him with deep concern.

            “It’s ok to cry,” Kai said softly.

            “I’m not going to cry,” Jess objected, flinching back.

            “I didn’t think you were,” Kai said, smiling gently. “I just wanted you to know that it’s ok to cry when you’re hurting.”

            “I don’t cry,” Jess snapped. Bitterly he added to himself, _no, I just seek out all kinds of trouble to distract myself._ He shook his head, telling himself that he was getting better, or trying to at least. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

            That sounded childish, even to him. After all, he was the one who had started talking about the accident. Kai hadn’t asked. But Kai let it go and didn’t pursue the subject any further. He backed away slightly from the merman, and remembering his father’s suitcase, he made an excuse to get away for a moment.

            “I’m gonna go put this in Dad’s closet,” he mumbled, hefting the suitcase.

            He turned and strode away before Kai could respond, leaving the merman in the bedroom. Guilt nipped at his heels. Kai was only trying to help. Kai wasn’t doing this to hurt him. He shouldn’t be behaving like this to Kai. He had done nothing to deserve being treated like this. Why did he have to act like this every time he was reminded of his mother’s death?

            Jess stumbled through the marbled master bathroom without paying attention to its beauty. When he reached the open doorway that connected the bathroom to the master closet, he slumped against the doorframe. A ragged gasp escaped his lips, and he grit his teeth to keep back the other sounds of pain that wanted to tear through him, aware that Kai might be watching from the bedroom. His eyes stung.

            “I’m not going to cry,” he ground out under his breath, gulping in lungfuls of air as he tried to master himself. “I can’t let myself cry.”

            He clung to the doorframe for a moment more before he forced himself back up again and walked into the room. In the dark he set down his father’s suitcase in one corner; he wouldn’t turn on the lights for fear of seeing the empty spaces where his mother’s clothes had been.

            When he returned to the master bedroom, he found Kai staring quietly into his father’s saltwater tank, set up on a stand at the foot of his father’s bed. It was a small tank in comparison to the behemoth downstairs and held less than one-tenth of the water, but it was impressive in its own right. Jess knew that this tank was his father’s pride and joy not because of its size, but rather because of its inhabitants.

            As he approached on quiet feet, Kai let out a soft sigh.

            “It’s just like the ocean,” the merman murmured with what Jess thought was a touch of wistfulness. “There’s even seahorses in there.”

            “I know,” Jess murmured back.

            Silence lapsed between them as they stared into the tank together, neither speaking. Finally Jess sighed.

            “I’m sorry about earlier,” he mumbled.

            “There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Kai replied, tilting his head to watch Jess from the corner of his eye. “It’s hard to lose someone you love. It hurts, but you don’t have to carry that pain with you forever.”

            “It doesn’t ever go away though, does it?” Jess asked. “Not entirely, at least.”

            “No,” Kai admitted after a pause. “It just gets more bearable over time. It helps to cry though, and to let go of a little bit of the hurt.”

            Jess hummed flatly. They turned their attentions back to the tank, until finally there was a knock at the bedroom door. Jess’s father stood in the doorway.

            “How goes the tour?” John asked.

            “Just fine,” Jess replied. He said nothing of the conversation they were just having. “This was our last stop.”

            “That’s good,” John said, smiling. “So Kai, what do you think of the place?”

            Kai turned, smiling sweetly as if they hadn’t just been talking about death and grief, and said, “You have a lovely home. Thank you for letting me stay here.”

            “It’s not a problem,” John chuckled. “And you know, it’s your home now too. And that reminds me, your room is ready. Jess, will you show it to Kai? I’m afraid I’ve reached my limits for today.”

            “Sure thing,” Jess agreed, knowing that was his father’s way of expressing his exhaustion. “Ready to go, Kai?”

            The merman nodded, and together they made their way to the door.

            “Goodnight, boys,” John said as they shuffled past him.

            “Goodnight!” they said almost in unison.

            The bedroom door closed behind them with a soft click, leaving them alone in the hallway. Jess let out a quiet sigh  before turning toward the stairs. Exhaustion was starting to creep up on him as well, turning his limbs to lead. He would have liked to have gone to bed himself, but he still needed to show Kai to his room.

            They descended the stairs in silence. When they reached the guest bedroom, Jess switched on the light and looked around. It looked as it always had: plain, with just a bed, a vanity, a lamp, and a nightstand as its only furnishings. Kai entered the room. He seemed more reserved, Jess thought, as he investigated the space. When the merman stopped in front of the vanity and frowned at his reflection, Jess stepped forward to join him.

            “What’s wrong?” he asked.

            Kai didn’t respond at first. Instead, he reached out, his slender fingers stroking at his reflection’s cheek. His eyes clouded over with a mixture of pain and regret, and he stared at himself in the mirror for a long moment before he bowed his head and sighed, “It’s nothing.”

_It’s not nothing._ Jess opened his mouth to object – clearly Kai was troubled by something – but then the memory of the last time he’d pressed Kai to tell him what was bothering him forced its way into his mind. Kai had pushed him away then and left him standing alone in a cold river. The ache of that rejection stung afresh, and he found himself saying something else entirely.

            “I know that you’ve got something on your mind, and I can see that it’s hurting you,” he was saying, “but if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I won’t force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with, Kai.”

            There was a long pause before Kai finally murmured, “I hate these eyes.”

            “Your eyes?” Jess echoed, surprised. “Why?”

            “They remind me… of everything I lost,” Kai murmured, and in a lower tone, so quiet that Jess had to strain to hear it, “and of the monster I’ve become.”

            “You’re not a monster,” Jess protested.

            “Am I not?” Kai retorted bitterly. He turned to stare up at Jess, forcing him to look into those unnaturally colored eyes. “I am a mythical creature, Jess. I grew up hearing horror stories from nursemaids about how mermaids were cold and merciless killers that existed solely to prey on men, and I am _one of them._ Tell me how that doesn’t make me a monster.”

            “It doesn’t,” Jess insisted. “Look, it’s not about who or what you are. It’s what you do that determines whether you’re a monster. And I’d say that you’re not a monster.”

            “How can I not be?” Kai muttered.

            “Well,” Jess said, carding a hand through his hair as he thought. “For starters, you haven’t killed or eaten anyone. And you saved my life from that other mermaid. That counts for something.”

            “You wouldn’t have been down by the sea if it weren’t for my singing,” Kai pointed out dryly. “And you were scared of me when we first met.”

            “I’m not scared anymore though,” Jess said slowly. “Kai, I promise that you’re not a monster. You’re a good person, and you’re also my friend. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

            Kai fell silent, looking at the mirror once more. Jess followed his gaze and saw them reflected there together. The differences between them were striking. Kai’s pale skin was almost transparent next to Jess’s sun-kissed complexion, and his dark hair fell like a curtain behind him while Jess’s curls crowned him like a mane. Jess was the taller of the two, as he’d thought, but not by much. When standing beside Jess, Kai looked almost feminine.

            “They used to be hazel, you know,” Kai commented after a moment of staring at his reflection. “My father and uncle would sometimes host dinner parties for their favorite clients, and people used to tell me that my eyes were my best feature. They would be scared to see them now.”

            “I think they look beautiful,” Jess murmured. He blushed as the words left his mouth, and quickly he stammered out, “I-I mean the color looks nice on you! You should wear purple more often!”

            “How do I know you’re not just saying that because purple is your favorite color?” Kai asked, though a faint smile was starting to spread from the corner of his lips.

            “It’s not!” Jess said quickly. “My favorite color is red!”

            Kai hummed under his breath, the smile resting softly upon his lips now. “Mine is teal.”

            “Teal’s a good color too!” Jess blurted. His face was hot from embarrassment, and the urge to flee beat wildly in his chest. He inched towards the door, babbling as he went, “So is the room to your liking? Can I get you anything? It’s getting late, and I should probably hit the hay.”

            “I am fine,” Kai replied. Was that amusement in his eyes, or was Jess just imagining it?

            “Great, then I’m just gonna go upstairs and get ready for bed,” Jess declared. He was at the door now. “Goodnight, Kai!”

            “Goodnight,” Kai replied.

            No sooner had Kai said his goodnights than Jess made his escape into the hall. He breathed a sigh of relief as his nervous feet sped him up the hall and stairs. When the door to his bedroom finally closed behind him, he began his tirade.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could I just say something like that?_ He berated himself over and over again. He pulled a fresh set of pajamas out of the dresser from his closet and angrily began changing into them. _What’s Kai going to think of me now? That was the most awkward and embarrassing thing I could have said, and then I just kept babbling like an idiot!_

            He plopped down on his bed and sighed, resting his face between his palms. The embarrassment was fading by now, and it was easier to reflect upon the rest of that conversation. _He thinks he’s a monster. But he’s not! He’s far too good and kind to be a monster! I wish…_

            “I wish I could make him see that,” he murmured out loud.

            There was a soft knock at his door. Jess looked up in surprise before standing and going to open it. It was Kai, standing in the dark hallway looking lost.

            “Did you… need something?” Jess asked after a moment.

            “I was hoping,” Kai began, worrying at his lip, “that I could stay with you tonight?”

            Jess blinked at him uncomprehendingly. In the silence, Kai fidgeted before blurting, “Just for tonight! I really don’t want to be alone right now.”

            Realization dawned on Jess, and he stood aside, inviting Kai in. Kai smiled in relief as he entered the room. Jess closed the door behind him and switched off the lights before returning to the bed. He threw the sheets back and climbed in, holding the covers open while Kai wriggled in beside him. It took some arranging for them to find a comfortable position, and Jess had to forego one of his pillows, but finally they settled down, lying on their sides facing each other.

            “Thank you,” Kai murmured when they had settled.

            “Don’t mention it,” Jess replied. They were so close their breaths were mingling in the space between them.

            Kai smiled at him before snuggling into the pillow, his eyes closing contentedly. Jess found himself watching the merman’s face as sleep unfolded upon him. It was hard not to, given their proximity. He should have been embarrassed to be staring, but he wasn’t. Instead, watching the merman’s face smooth and his breathing level with sleep was soothing. When he finally did close his eyes as well, he drifted off immediately into a peaceful rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait on this chapter, everyone! The good news is the next chapter shouldn't take as long to write, so we'll hopefully have chapter 9 posted much sooner!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the revised version of Chapter 9. If you have read the original, I highly encourage you to read the revised version. You won't miss out on much, but you may find yourself stumbling and confused later down the line.

            Jess jolted up with a start. He gasped, his heart racing from the nightmare. It had felt so real – too real, for how it mirrored his own recent brush with danger. He could almost feel the sand beneath his feet again and the wind in his hair as he stared out over the black cove…

            In his dream though, he had not been the one in danger. No, he had been standing safely on the beach, far from harm but paralyzed as he watched the mermaids wind their arms around Kai’s helpless form. The boy had screamed at him to come _help him, help him, why wasn’t Jess helping him?_ But Jess could only stand there and do nothing as the boy was dragged down into the depths before his very eyes.

            A shudder of horror passed through Jess, and his eyes darted down to the space in the bed that Kai had occupied the night before to reassure himself of the merman’s safety. Only, Kai wasn’t there.

            The lingering panic from his dream burst into a fresh flame, and he flung back the sheets and launched himself out of bed. Without a care for his own safety, he scrambled madly out the bedroom door and pelted down the stairs.

            The sound of a sizzling frying pan greeted him as he descended the last few steps.

            “There he is,” John chuckled, glancing over his shoulder as Jess caught his breath at the foot of the stairs. “It’s like I always say, ‘Make the food, and Jess will come.’ Nothing drags that boy out of bed faster than the smell of food cooking.”

            Kai sat in one of the bar stools, safe and sound as if he’d never known a hint of danger in his life. The merman giggled in response before turning to greet Jess with a bright, “Good morning!”

            “Uh, good morning,” Jess replied, feeling foolish. What had he been so afraid of?

            “Your father was telling me of our plans for today,” Kai informed him as he took up the stool beside him.

            “Plans?” Jess echoed.

            “After brunch, we’re going clothing shopping for Kai,” John said. He set a mountainous stack of pancakes down before them. The eggs, still sizzling in the frying pan, would be done soon. “We’re a bit low on food too, so after that we’ll head to the grocery store. That sound like a plan to you boys?”

            “Sure,” Jess said while Kai nodded.

            “Is there anything else that needs to be done today?” John continued as he set silverware and plates down on the countertop.

            “I don’t think so,” Jess replied, grabbing a set of dishware from the stack.

            “What about your school work, Jess?” his father asked, catching him with a pointed look.

            “Ugh, no, I forgot about that!” Jess groaned, setting the plate back down with a clatter.

            He sprang up from the stool and raced back upstairs almost as quickly as he had come down them in the first place. The file with all his assignments for the previous week was in his suitcase. He had meant to complete all of them while they were staying in Old Town, and while he had already done a large chunk of the assignments, there was still some left to work on. What remained to be done was a chapter’s worth of reading for his History class along with the corresponding questions, as well as four work book pages and a crossword puzzle for his Foreign Languages class.

            Looking over the assignments, Jess tried to judge how much time he had left to do them and which to tackle first. The History assignment would take the most time to complete, upwards of three hours he guessed. Even so, that was the easier of the two assignments. Try as he might, Jess struggled to wrap his mind around the complexities of a language other than his own. His teacher once described his problem as focusing too hard on translating the words rather than understanding their meaning. He had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

            With the work book pages and the crossword in hand, Jess descended the stairs again. At this point, he reasoned it would be best to eliminate the most challenging materials first. Better to get them out of the way now so that he could concentrate his fullest efforts on his History homework later. He set the pages down on the countertop beside Kai and got to work, pausing only briefly to accept the plate of food his father had prepared for him. He ate it while he worked.

            The meal was finished before his homework was. He scowled at the crossword puzzle, biting at the inside of his cheek as he struggled to find the right words. One word in particular had him stumped. It was a simple enough word, but the problem was that there were several ways to say it, and he had yet to find the right word that fit the puzzle.

            “Dad, can you help me with this?” he finally asked, looking up at John who was washing the dishes.

            “I can certainly try,” the man said, shutting off the faucet and drying his hands. “What subject are we on?”

            “Foreign Languages,” Jess replied.

            John frowned as he came around the bar to look down at the paper. “Now, you know Foreign Languages is not my best subject either. I haven’t spoken any language other than the one we’re speaking right now since my college days.”

            “It’s just one word,” Jess promised. “It should be easy, but nothing I’ve tried so far fits in the puzzle. The word means ‘to fall in love.’ Do you know which word that’s supposed to be?”

            “Not in the language you’re learning, no,” John replied. “We’ll have to add a stop at the bookstore to our to-do list while we’re out today and see if we can get you a dictionary.”

            Kai spoke up then, startling them both out of their conversation. They both blinked at him incredulously while Kai stared calmly back and repeated the word.

            “That’s what you’re trying to say, isn’t it?” the merman added, tilting his head inquiringly.

            “I… I think so,” Jess mumbled, still caught up in the shock. He snapped out of it quickly and bent over the paper. “Let me try plugging it into the puzzle.”

            While Jess wrote the word one letter at a time, his father addressed Kai with a question.

            “Are you bilingual, Kai?” John asked, sounding impressed.

            “Not exactly,” Kai replied, and Jess could almost hear the merman shaking his head. “I don’t speak that language very well anymore. My father hired a tutor to teach it to me. He believed that knowing other languages was an essential part of conducting business, but he didn’t know the language well enough to teach it to me himself. He thought it would help when I joined the family business someday.”

            “Communication is an important skill for business transactions,” John agreed. “What was the last level of schooling you completed?”

            “Level?” Kai echoed, obviously confused.

            “You know, what grade were you last in?” he asked.

            When Kai was slow to respond, John tried a different approach. His words came out slow, as if he were explaining a complex concept to someone who had never encountered it before. “In school, you’re assigned a different grade based on your age and the materials you’re learning. At the end of the school year, if you receive passing marks on your tests and assignments, you move up to the next grade. What was the last grade you completed in school?”

            “I never went to school.”

            Kai’s response startled Jess into looking up from his homework and staring again. The merman frowned back at him, perplexed.

            “My father didn’t believe in school as a sound institution of learning,” the merman explained. “He said that school was more distracting than educational, so he and my uncle taught my cousin and I what they thought we needed to know. For the things they didn’t know, they hired tutors to teach us instead.”

            “So you were homeschooled,” John concluded. “And they didn’t tell you what grade level you were in?”

            “My father believed that school wasted one’s time on concepts that weren’t useful in our family’s field of work, so our curriculum did not match what the school taught,” Kai said, frowning as he saw the growing look of dismay on John’s face. “Is that a problem?”

            “Not one that can’t be fixed,” John mused half to himself, moving back around the counter to where the remaining dirty dishes awaited. “I’ll have to make some calls and see if I can’t get the high school to agree to some special provisions, given the circumstances, and we’ll need to assess the extent of your education in order to determine what classes would be best to put you in.”

            “Classes?” Kai asked, confused once more.

            “Yes, classes, for when you go to school!” John explained, his voice returning to its earlier jovial tone as he turned on the faucet.

            “School?!” Kai all but shrieked.

            Jess doubted that his father could hear the shrill note of alarm in the merman’s voice over the sound of the running water as he resumed his task. Seeing the merman on the verge of a possible panic attack, he spoke up on Kai’s behalf.

            “Dad, don’t you think it’s a little soon to be talking about school?” he pushed.

            “Education’s a serious matter,” John said without looking up. “It pays to think ahead about this sort of thing.”

            “I know, Dad, but Kai’s only been with us for a day,” Jess pointed out. “Don’t you think we should give him some time to settle in before we talk about this?”

            “I suppose there are more immediate details to attend to,” John conceded, and Jess had a feeling that he was referring to the merman’s lack of clothing or other personal items. “Why don’t the two of you go get ready to leave so that we can get those errands taken care of?”

            With a murmur of assent, the pair slid from the bar stools and exited the kitchen. Before parting ways in the hallway though, Jess caught Kai’s attention and led the merman upstairs. He brought Kai to his bathroom, where he rummaged through his drawers to find a spare toothbrush for him.

            “Does the idea of going to school bother you?” Jess asked, jumping straight to the point as he handed the toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste to the merman.

            “I don’t think school’s such a good idea,” Kai confided anxiously. “Schools have lots of people in them, don’t they? What if it’s not safe? What if…” And here, Kai’s voice dipped to a small whisper of fear. “What if someone figures out what I am?”

            “I don’t think there’s much chance of that,” Jess assured him. “Remember when we met? I told you mermaid lore isn’t very common here. I highly doubt anyone’s going to think you’re a merman just by looking at you. Not without seeing your tail anyway, and we’ll just be extra careful to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

            “I still don’t know.” Kai let out an unhappy sigh. “Even without knowing what I am, people will notice that there’s something different about me. All this time I’ve lived in the ocean, I thought the one thing I wanted most was to be with other people, but now I’m beginning to think that I can’t do that without drawing attention to all the ways I’m different.”

            “Oh Kai,” Jess breathed, feeling a surge of pity well up within him. “You don’t need to be scared. No one’s going to do anything to you. If they tried, they’d have to answer to me first, because I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.”

            He followed those words with a lighthearted wink, thinking to ease the mood somewhat, only to be taken off guard as Kai suddenly hugged him in response. He hesitated for one uncertain moment before hugging back. The merman’s face burrowed into the crook of one shoulder as he clung tighter to Jess; his heart gave an uncomfortable lurch when Kai’s breath ghosted against his neck.

            “Thank you,” Kai murmured.

            “A-anytime,” Jess stammered. His cheeks were growing embarrassingly warm.

            Kai pulled back slightly, and Jess slackened his grip, thinking that the merman meant to pull away then, only to have Kai reach up on tip toes and place a kiss on his cheek. Jess’s face reddened, and he stuttered out a few inarticulate syllables, staring down at Kai with wide, surprised eyes. The merman smiled sweetly before pulling away from him. He disappeared down the stairs before Jess could form a single word.

_Did that really just happen?_ Jess shook himself. Turning to the mirror, he was met with his reddened complexion, further proof of what had transpired. He turned on the faucet and started brushing his teeth mechanically while his thoughts were on other things.

_Maybe that’s just his way of saying thank you. It wouldn’t be the first time._

            He spat and rinsed his mouth out before making eye contact with his reflection once more. _I’m probably making a big deal out of nothing._ He patted his face dry before venturing out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. A quick search through the dresser in his closet yielded a clean pair of jeans and his favorite orange t-shirt. In a matter of minutes, he was soon dressed and ready to go.

            At the bottom of the stairs, he found his father and Kai sitting in the living room. The TV was turned on to its usual channel, and Kai was watching with rapt attention while an esteemed scientist with a heavy accent spoke about the current state of the reefs just of the coastline only a few days’ drive north of Fogwood. On the couch beside him, John was reading the paper.

            “All set?” John asked as Jess perched on the back of the couch between them.

            “Yeah,” Jess replied.

            “Good, then let’s get going,” John declared.

            While his father went to put away his newspaper and grab his coat and keys, Jess leaned over the couch and took the TV remote from where it sat abandoned amongst the couch cushions. He pressed the power button and waited. A moment later, Kai blinked and looked about himself in bewilderment, as if the sudden blackening of the screen had brought him out of a trance.

            “You ok?” Jess asked, mildly amused by the merman’s reaction.

            “Oh! Yes, of course,” Kai replied, twisting in his seat to offer Jess a sheepish smile. “I just got distracted for a moment. Were you saying something?”

            “Not really,” Jess chuckled, “but we’re about to leave now. You ready?”

            “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Kai said.

 ~~~

            They parked in a parking garage near the center of Fogwood’s Fashion Plaza. The Plaza, as it was often called, was really a collection of plazas that together formed a mall of sorts. Each individual plaza boasted a dozen stores and eateries in their own individual buildings that were clustered around a shared courtyard. It was, without a doubt, the crowning jewel of the town’s attractions, and it always had its fair share of people about.

            In light of their earlier conversation, Jess was surprised that Kai wasn’t clinging to him or using him as a protective shield. The merman stayed close to his side, eyes downcast as if he didn’t want to make eye contact with the dozen or so people that they passed. The one overt display of Kai’s anxiety was the white-knuckled grip with which he grasped Jess’s hand. Jess didn’t protest this; he was just glad to be able to provide the merman with some comfort, even in such a small way.

            The department store they stopped at was thankfully less crowded than the plaza outside. Kai raised his head and risked a glance around the store, and Jess squeezed his hand for encouragement.

            “You boys go on and look around to see if you can find some Kai clothes. I’ll be browsing in the shoe department,” John said, sparing them a nod before striding off in that direction.

            With a quick look around, Jess led Kai into the men’s clothing section. Gently he pried his hand free from Kai’s, only to earn a distressed look from the merman.

            “I’m not going anywhere,” Jess assured him quickly. “I’m gonna need this hand though if I’m going to help you find some clothes. Come on, I’ll be right here with you.”

            “O-Ok,” Kai squeaked, though it was obvious that he was well outside of his comfort zone.

            Giving the merman his most reassuring smile, Jess turned and started rooting through the rack of clothes behind him. Kai quickly followed his example. Now that they got down to it, Jess wasn’t exactly sure what kind of clothes to look for. Whatever styles of clothing had been popular back when Kai had been human, Jess assumed they had gone out of style long ago. Would the merman even like the sorts of styles that were popular now? He supposed that Kai was going to have to if he wanted to blend in and not attract attention to himself.

_He could pass as a hipster if he wore these with a beanie._ Jess thought, pulling out a button-down plaid shirt and some skinny jeans. _Or if he puts his hair up in a ponytail, he could be taken for some sort of punk in some torn jeans and a band t-shirt._ He pulled out a set of clothes to match that image as well. _This would be easier if his hair wasn’t so long…_

            “How about these?” Jess asked, holding up the two sets of clothes for Kai to examine.

            The merman looked them over, his lips pursed in contemplation. Finally, he shook his head, saying, “I don’t think I’ll like those.”

            “Why not?” Jess asked, furrowing his brow. “Do the styles seem weird? Because I can assure you that these are considered very fashionable right now.”

            “It’s not that,” Kai murmured, fiddling with more clothes on the rack. “They look very… tight. I don’t think I’d be comfortable in them.”

            “What’s wrong with tight?” Jess asked, not following.

            “Tight clothes would feel very… constricting, especially on my legs,” Kai hedged, glancing around nervously before dropping his voice to a low whisper, “They’d remind me of my tail.”

            “Oh,” Jess murmured, suddenly remembering the merman saying something similar the last time he’d picked out some clothes for Kai to try on. “So no tight clothes then. Got it.”

            Kai smiled gratefully before turning his attention back to the rack, leaving Jess to mull over what to do. The trouble was that at this time of year, most stores were only stocking winter clothes, which consisted of a lot of pants made of thick, constraining fabrics to keep out the cold. Their chances of finding something that wouldn’t be uncomfortably tight for the merman were not looking good. And that’s when an idea occurred to him.

            “Come on, we’re gonna check out the clearance racks,” Jess announced, grabbing Kai’s wrist to catch his attention.

            “What are the clearance racks?” Kai asked, turning to follow as Jess led the way.

            “It’s where the store puts all the out-of-season clothes they’re trying to get rid of,” Jess explained, pausing to wave to his father and point in that direction so that he’d know where they’d gone. “Right now they should be full of summer clothes. And since the summers here get kinda hot and humid, the summer clothes should all be lightweight and loose, not tight and heavy like the winter clothes. If we’re lucky, we can find some stuff you’ll like over there.” _And maybe we can get him used to wearing pants again before winter comes and he freezes his legs off._ He hoped silently.

            The clearance racks were near the back of the store. The area contained clothes from every department, separated loosely by which rack they were placed on. Within minutes Jess had found some airy shorts and a few light t-shirts that Kai had agreed to try on.

            “This still isn’t a whole lot of clothes,” Jess said, hefting the hangers for emphasis. “It’s not even a week’s worth. You’ll need more than just this. See anything else you think you’ll like?”

            “How about these?” Kai asked, holding out two more items.

            Jess blinked. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Was Kai being serious?

            “They’re dresses,” he finally said, and the words rang a bit flat in his ears.

            “So?” Kai asked, tilting his head as if he didn’t see the problem.

            “Dresses are for girls,” Jess pointed out. That should be obvious to anyone, right?

            “Boys wear dresses too,” Kai said, and his tone was matter-of-fact. His brow wrinkled as if he was confused why Jess would object to this suggestion.

            “Since when?” Jess blurted, astonished. This was certainly news to him.

            “In my time, it was normal to dress little boys in dresses until they reached a certain age,” Kai explained calmly. “Is that not how it is now?”

            “No,” Jess answered, still reeling from the shock of this revelation. “Only girls wear dresses.”

            “I see,” Kai murmured, drooping a little with obvious disappointment. “I’d hoped that these might feel more comfortable than wearing pants, but if you think I shouldn’t wear them…”

            Jess carded his one free hand through his hair, trying to think of a way to explain. It wasn’t just that dresses were typically only worn by girls; it was also the stigma surrounding anyone who tried to prove otherwise that led to mockery and attacks. Jess had no doubt that there were people in his town that could and would target the merman if they saw him wearing a dress and knew he wasn’t a girl, and Kai didn’t seem to realize that.

            “You could try them if you want,” Jess tried, “but people are going to assume that you’re a girl if you’re wearing a dress. Wouldn’t that bother you?”

            “I think they already do,” Kai said. “I’ve noticed that not many men seem to have long hair in your time. It seems to be almost exclusive to women.”

            “You could get a haircut,” Jess pointed out.

            “I don’t want a haircut,” Kai responded, shaking his head. “Even if my hair was shorter, I still wouldn’t look very much like a boy, would I?”

            Jess shook his head. Kai had a point there. His features were too delicate, eyes too big, mouth too full. Kai could easily be mistaken for a girl one way or another.

            “I guess, if it really wouldn’t bother you,” he conceded finally. There was more to it than whether Kai would look passably feminine in a dress or not, but he couldn’t find a delicate way to warn the merman of what might be in store for him.

            “It won’t,” Kai assured him with a soft smile. “I never felt uncomfortable wearing dresses as a child, and I don’t see why that should change now – even if wearing one at my age is a bit unorthodox.”

_He has no idea._ Jess thought, and he found himself speaking up one more time.

            “If… If anyone ever says anything or does something that makes you feel uncomfortable about wearing them, you’ll let me know, won’t you? I’ll just have a… _talk_ with them and make sure they won’t bother you.”

            Said ‘talk’ might involve more than just an exchange of words, Jess noted wryly. Kai must have sensed something of that sort, for he gave Jess an odd, almost wary look before murmuring a soft agreement.

            “Great,” Jess said, and he tried to put on a lighthearted grin to distract Kai as he changed the subject. “Ready to try everything on?”

            With a smile and a nod from Kai, Jess led the merman over to the fitting rooms. He hung the clothes on hooks in the small stall and demonstrated how to work the lock on the door before leaving Kai to his clothes. Outside, there was nothing to do but sit and wait.

_Now would have been a really good time to do homework._ He mused. _Or read a book. If only I’d brought one with me._ Idly he took out his phone and flipped it open, intending to look at his recent messages while he waited. The most recent message in his inbox though left him frowning. What was _she_ doing, texting him out of the blue like this after he had taken such pains to avoid her in school and around town? Couldn’t she take a hint?

            “Jess? Is something wrong?”

            Startled, Jess looked up to see Kai leaning over him. The merman was wearing the one pair of khaki shorts he had consented to try on, along with a blue-and-white striped shirt. The clothes looked like they had been made with Kai’s comfort in mind with how the shorts flared out loosely from the waist down and how the shirt clung softly to his torso. A moment passed before Jess realized that Kai had asked him a question.

            “Uh, no, it’s nothing,” he mumbled, glancing down at the phone in his hands. “It’s just a message from someone I don’t want to talk to. It’s nothing, really.”

            “What is that device?” Kai asked curiously, leaning in closer to get a better look at the phone.

            “This?” Jess held it out for the merman to see. “It’s a phone. We use phones to talk with people who aren’t physically in the room with us. Some of the newest ones do a lot more than that, but this is an older one that Dad passed down to me a few years ago.”

            “So it’s a telephone?” Kai asked.

            “Yeah,” Jess said, caught by surprise. “You know about those?”

            “My father insisted that it was the technology of the future,” the merman informed him with a fond smile. “He said that it would usher in a new era of business and trade.”

            “I’m sure it did,” Jess agreed. “These things can come in handy when you need to get ahold of someone in a hurry. What about your clothes? Do you like them?”

            “This is the first thing I tried on,” Kai admitted, glancing away. “I’m not sure if I like these shorts or not. They’re not tight like the pants I tried on at the Marine Center, but it feels weird to be wearing anything like pants after so long of going without.”

            “They don’t feel uncomfortable though, do they?” Jess asked with some concern. Maybe Kai wouldn’t be able to wear any kind of pants after all. What would they do then?

            “No,” Kai replied decisively. He smiled as he added, “I think I could get used to this pair.”

            “That’s good.” Jess smiled back, relieved. There was still hope. “You should go try on the rest of the clothes.”

            While Kai left to do as Jess suggested, Jess typed out a quick text to his father informing him of where they were. In the time it took him to receive the reply, Kai had already tried on the remaining t-shirts and come out to show them off, of which two were deemed worthy of keeping. Now all that was left were the dresses.

            The first dress was almost too short to be called such. In fact, Jess would have been certain that it was just an overly large sleeveless blouse if it weren’t for how snugly the waist of it fit on Kai. The fabric was so lightweight that it seemed to float around the merman’s thighs. For all that, Kai wore the little white dress beautifully. Jess had a hard time looking anywhere else – not that he’d want to anyway.

            “Well?” Kai made a slow turn, causing the hem of the dress to swish around his thighs. “What do you think?”

            “I, uh…” Jess tried to speak, but the words died in his throat. He’d seen pretty girls wearing pretty dresses before, but none of them had ever left him staring, let alone tongue-tied!

            “It’s too short, isn’t it?” Kai asked, his eyes dropping to the floor to cover his embarrassment.

            “What? No! No, it looks great on you!” Jess blurted, coming to his feet. He fervently hoped that his face wasn’t turning red. “Really, it does! It’s just… are you comfortable in it?”

            “Actually, yes,” Kai replied. He did a little twirl that made the fabric of the dress flutter dangerously high upon his thighs. “It’s shorter than I’d like, but it’s more comfortable than wearing pants. I think I like it!”

            “That’s good,” Jess said, smiling. “You look good.”

            Kai smiled one of those radiant smiles that had Jess fumbling for words again before he turned back towards the fitting rooms.

            “I’m going to go try on the other dress,” he announced over his shoulder as he went, leaving Jess standing there in a daze.

            When he realized how foolish he must look just standing there and staring after the retreating merman, Jess slumped back into his chair and covered his face in his hands, groaning. _Why does this keep happening? I keep acting like an idiot around him. Kai’s gonna start thinking I’m some sort of weirdo or something._

            “Something the matter, Jess?”

            Jess shot up in surprise at the sound of his father’s voice. The man was setting himself down into the chair next to his, frowning at him in concern.

            “It’s nothing!” he squeaked a little shrilly. “Geez, Dad, you scared me!”

            “You’re sure that you’re feeling alright?” John pressed, leaning in to look Jess over critically. “You said you took a nasty bump to the head only a few days ago.”

            “Oh. I guess it could be that,” Jess mumbled, his hand subconsciously raised to brush at the now mostly faded bruise. Maybe that explained his weird behavior as of late. “I don’t have a headache or anything though, so I don’t think it’s a concussion or something like that.”

            “And you’re sure you don’t want to have a doctor check it out?” John prompted.

            “It can’t be that bad, Dad,” Jess said. “It’s just a bit of tenderness. Besides, wouldn’t any internal injury be healed by now? It’s been five days.”

            “Most likely, but I want you to tell me if you start feeling any worse,” John said firmly.

            “I will,” he promised.

            “Good. So, how is Kai doing with clothes shopping?” his father asked as he relaxed back into the seat.

            “Pretty good.” Jess shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Up until this point, he hadn’t even thought of how his father might react to Kai in a dress. His father wasn’t one of those men who sneered and made gross comments or threats towards people who didn’t conform to society’s expectations for them, of that Jess was sure, but he didn’t know if his father would disapprove or not.

            “Actually, Dad, about that…” He swallowed and then steeled himself. John was going to find out eventually. All he could do now was prepare the man and hope for the best. “Kai’s sort of got an… unusual taste in clothes, and I thought I’d warn you in advance. Could you… not say anything about it?”

            “Well, so long as it doesn’t go against any public decency standards, I don’t see why I should have to,” John replied, arching an eyebrow.

_Define ‘public decency standards.’_ Jess thought wryly. Before he could explain further though, Kai emerged from the fitting rooms. The dress he wore was an aqua sundress with a darker teal band around the bottom and a matching sash for his waist. It was more modest than the first dress, Jess was relieved to see, with the hem coming to just below Kai’s knees. For all its modesty though, it suited Kai just as beautifully as the first – with the added bonus of not leaving Jess a blushing, staring mess.

            “Does this one look alright?” Kai asked quietly as he joined them. His eyes flitted between father, son, and the ground, as if nervous of what sort of reception awaited him. Jess bit his tongue, equally concerned about that.

            John, however, surprised them both by exclaiming, “Wow, Kai, you look wonderful! That dress could have been tailored just for you. How does it fit?”

            “T-thank you,” Kai stammered, flushing with color. “It fits pretty well. The sash needs to be tied though, and I can’t seem to manage it.”

            “I’ll get it,” Jess volunteered quickly, standing.

            Kai turned, presenting Jess with his back. The tails of the sash hung loosely down to the hem of the dress; Jess caught them up and began to tie them into a bow. A small part of his mind noted how well the dress fit Kai, conforming to his figure. His father was right, it really did seem made for him – that, or maybe Kai was made for the dress. When the bow was tied, he stepped back, giving Kai room to twirl as he had done with the first dress. He grinned at Jess as he did so, the dress swirling around him.

            “Looks like that dress is a keeper,” John chuckled as Kai came to a stop. “Is that your last outfit to try on?”

            “Yes,” Kai replied.

            “Good, then why don’t you give me all the clothes you’ve decided on getting so that I can go pay for them?” John suggested.

            “Ok!” Kai chirped, all but prancing back to the fitting room to retrieve them.

            Watching Kai go, Jess didn’t notice when his father got to his feet until the man had clapped a hand on his shoulder, catching his attention.

            “Is that what you were worried about?” his father asked. “Kai in a dress?”

            “Kind of,” Jess mumbled, watching the man’s reactions from the corner of one eye. “You don’t think it’s strange?”

            “I know some people would,” John replied with a thoughtful frown. “Jesse, I’ll have been a parent for eighteen years come a few weeks from now, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in all those years, it’s that kids are always trying to figure out just who they are and how to express that. As a parent, it’s not my job to dictate how you do that. My job is just to guide you along the way and make sure you’re safe. If Kai feels that he can express the person who he is best in that dress, then it’s not my place to tell him not to wear it. I can only show my support.”

            “Wow, Dad, I really didn’t expect that,” Jess said, turning to look at his father in surprise.

            “Of course not,” John chuckled. “That’s because you’re not a parent. And Jesse, I want you to know that I may not have given you the guidance you’ve needed these past few years since your mother’s passing, and I blame myself for not helping you to avoid some of the bad choices you’ve made, but I still believe that you’re still going to grow into the kind of man your mother and I always hoped you’d become.”

            Jess stared at his father, shocked. A lump rose in his throat, and he had to look away to fight the sudden sting of tears that rose to his eyes.

            “Thanks, Dad,” he rasped out finally.

            He received another squeeze on his shoulder in return before John let go. Kai had just come out of the fitting room, once more wearing his borrowed sweatshirt and shorts and holding the bundle of clothes he’d picked out in his arms. Quickly Jess rubbed at his eyes with the back of one hand before going to take the clothes from Kai. The merman gave him a grateful smile in response.

            “Alright, boys, let’s go pay for all that,” John said, turning to lead them to the registers. “This store doesn’t have much in the way of shoes, so we’ll have to stop at a specialty store for those. Kai, would you like to change into one of your new outfits once we’ve paid for them?”

            “Yes, please!” Kai said, obviously delighted with this idea.

            “I think we can arrange that,” John chuckled. “But first, let’s go get these things paid for, and then we’ll be on our way!”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the revised version of Chapter 10. If you have read the original, I highly encourage you to read the revised version. You won't miss much, but you might be left stumbling and confused later down the line.
> 
> Coarse language warning. There's some swearing later on in this chapter.

            If at first Jess was concerned that Kai wearing a dress would attract negative attention his way, now he was beginning to see that no one particularly noticed the merman. It was as if the aqua sundress he had chosen to wear worked in tandem with his rather feminine features to create the perfect disguise. The sandals he’d picked out from the shoe store, though simple and unassuming enough to pass as both men’s and women’s footwear, didn’t detract from the overall image of femininity he presented. And Kai genuinely didn’t seem bothered by it.

            More importantly than that, the merman’s confidence seemed to be growing bit by bit as he continued to pass undetected among the people. That didn’t stop him from seeking Jess’s hand to hold for reassurance whenever they passed by a particularly large group of people or shyly ducking behind him when the cashier at the pretzel shop they were currently eating at complimented him on his dress. Jess didn’t mind that though. He’d gladly be Kai’s safe haven when his fears began to overwhelm him.

            They had taken a seat at one of the tables outside the pretzel shop. Jess kept stealing glances at Kai as the merman tore off another piece of pretzel and popped it in his mouth. He seemed as relaxed and comfortable as ever Jess had seen him in public, and Jess wondered how long that could last. Thus far they had been lucky not to encounter anyone who would voice a negative opinion about Kai’s choice in clothing, but that good fortune couldn’t last forever, could it?

_I want him to feel safe and comfortable – he deserves that much after all the things he’s been through – but I don’t want anyone to hurt him._ Jess shook his head. There wasn’t much they could do to prevent that, unless Kai were to call himself a girl in addition to looking like one. Kai hadn’t mentioned doing so though, and Jess had a feeling that it would be rude for him to suggest it. There really wasn’t much he could do but worry and wait for that to happen.

            “Are you boys about ready to head out?” John asked, snapping Jess’s attention back to the present.

            “Yes,” Kai chirped after finishing the last of his pretzel.

            Jess hummed in agreement before standing up. He gathered up the wrapper from his pretzel and the empty cup of orange soda while the others did the same. After throwing out their trash, the three of them headed to the car.

            “Last stop of the day is the grocery store,” John said as he slid into the driver’s seat and started the ignition.

            The ride to the grocery store was a quiet one. While the Plaza was located in the center of town, the grocery store was just off the main highway that cut through the town, only a couple blocks from the beach. It wasn’t far from their home either – hardly more than a fifteen minute walk. They parked in the lot in front of the store and headed in.

            “Now, before we go picking out food, are there any food allergies we need to be aware of for you, Kai?” John asked as they entered the store.

            “I don’t think so,” Kai said, pursing his lips. “I just don’t like fish.”

            “That’s fine,” John replied amiably. “We don’t often eat fish, but we do eat shrimp and other shellfish from time to time. Are you ok with that?”

            “I’m not sure,” Kai said. “I’ll have to try it first.”

            “Well it’s fine if you don’t like it,” John offered. “That’ll just leave more for Jess and me. Now, what should we eat for dinner tonight?”

            “How about lasagna?” Jess piped up.

            “That will take a while to cook, but I suppose it will be a while before we’re hungry enough to eat,” John mused. “Does that sound alright to you, Kai?”

            “I’ve never tried that before,” Kai admitted. “What is it?”

            “It’s essentially pasta, meat, cheese, and tomato sauce arranged in layers and baked in the oven,” John explained. “Does that sound like something you’d be interested in?”

            “I think so,” the merman replied. “I’d like to try it at least.”

            “In that case, I think we’d better have that for dinner tonight.” John smiled. “Why don’t you boys go looking around the store now and pick out some foods you want? Our kitchen needs stocking.”

            “Ok,” they both agreed before John turned and headed into the deli department, leaving them to browse on their own.

            “What kind of foods do you like?” Jess asked as they picked their way up an aisle.

            “It’s been so long since I’ve eaten real food. I doubt my tastes have remained the same in all that time,” Kai answered, his voice filled with equal parts wistfulness and regret.

            “Well,” Jess said, trying a different approach, “what kind of foods do you remember eating when you were young?”

            “I remember lots of meats,” Kai commented. “We’d have big breakfasts with lots of sausages and eggs, sometimes pastries too. For lunch, we’d most often have sandwiches along with a bowl of soup or meat stew. We had stew for dinner too. Sometimes though, we’d have whole roast chicken or baked fish instead. I remember liking those days especially because in the morning my mother and aunt would take my cousin and me into the market to pick out fresh food for the meal. Those were the only times we ever got to go into town.”

            “You didn’t get out much?” Jess questioned, surprised.

            Kai shook his head. “My father believed that our time was too important to waste on frivolous activities outside of our studies. We rarely left the manor grounds.”

            “That sounds kind of lonely,” Jess commented sympathetically. _No wonder he’s scared of people if he rarely had the chance to be around them!_

            “I’m not so sure it was,” Kai said, taking Jess by surprise. “It was what I was used to, and I had my cousin for company. He was my best friend.”

            Jess hummed under his breath. Kai’s face had that look of distant pain that Jess took to mean he would start crying if pressed to continue talking about his family, so he changed the subject.

            “Did you like eating fish back then?” He asked cautiously, knowing that he was treading around delicate subjects and unsure of which might spontaneously cause Kai to burst into tears.

            “I suppose I must have,” Kai mused before shaking his head. “All I can think of though when I try to remember what it must have tasted like is all the raw fish I’ve had to eat while living at sea.”

            “Would you want to try cooked fish again sometime?” Jess asked. “Dad sometimes bakes salmon, and the way he prepares it makes it taste like lemons and garlic. It shouldn’t taste anything like raw fish. It’s really good, actually.”

            “It sounds like something I could like,” Kai answered tentatively. “I just can’t say unless I try it.”

            “I could ask Dad to make it sometime, and then you could try it,” Jess offered. “You don’t have to though, if you don’t want to.”

            “I think I might like that,” Kai replied, smiling softly. “Someday, perhaps.”

            They lapsed into silence as they continued to peruse the aisles. By the time they met up with Jess’s father in the produce area, they’d gathered a few cans of premade soup, a packet of stew mix, and a box of rice – foods Kai said reminded him of what he used to eat when he was human – along with some of Jess’s favorite snacks and a 6-pack of orange sodas. They placed their findings in the cart.

            “I see you found quite a few things,” John observed. “Are these the kinds of foods you like, Kai?”

            “It’s close to what I ate growing up,” Kai explained, which, while not quite answering John’s question, was enough to satisfy the man.

            “Well then, looks like we’ll be adding more soup to our diet,” John chuckled. “I’ve stocked up on all our usual foods, and I can see you got yourself some snacks, Jess. Is there anything else we need?”

            “Can we get some fruit?” Kai asked tentatively, as if he wasn’t sure how this request might be received.

            “Of course,” John replied, eyebrows raised. “What kind of fruit would you like?”

            “Would a melon be ok if it’s not too expensive?” Kai asked hopefully.

            “Melons aren’t that expensive,” John assured him. “You may have to eat most of it by yourself though. Jess and I don’t eat much melon. We more often have apples, oranges, and grapes around the house, but I think we can handle adding some melon to the mix. Which kind of melon would you like?”

            “The green kind?” Kai bit his lip. “I’m not sure what it’s called.”

            “It’s probably honeydew you’re thinking of,” Jess put in. “That should have been the melon in the fruit bowl at the diner yesterday. That’s what you want, right?”

            “Yes, I think that’s it,” Kai said, smiling at him. “It’s my favorite.”

            “Well then, let’s go get ourselves a melon,” John suggested, smiling as well.

            While his father and Kai went to pick out a melon, Jess grabbed a bag of tangerines to eat with his lunch at school this upcoming week. He wasn’t looking forward to returning to school. Aside from being monotonous and annoying, school presented another issue: it was the place he was most likely to encounter _her_ , and that was the last thing he wanted. And considering her recent message, there was little doubt in his mind that she would be making every effort to hunt him down and demand answers from him this upcoming week, and he sorely hoped to avoid that.

            Jess sighed as he placed the tangerines into the cart, earning a frown from both his father and Kai.

            “Is everything alright?” the merman asked for them both.

            “Hmm? Oh, yeah. Just thinking about school.” The lie slipped off his tongue like butter skating across a hot surface, but at least it wasn’t too far from the truth.

            “We’d better get home soon so that you can work on your homework,” John commented. “This everything we need, boys?”

            After gaining their agreement, John steered them towards the checkout lines. In a matter of minutes, their items were scanned and bagged, and the bagger was returning them to the cart. Through it all, Jess’s mind continued to brood, and he paid little attention to the process. Finally, his father led them out of the store.

            In less time than it took for them to stand in line and pay for their things, they arrived home. Unloading the groceries was a collective effort that everyone took part in, though by silent agreement Jess and his father left Kai with the lightest bags to grab. With all the groceries brought in and set on the dining room table, Jess began the task of unpacking everything while John started in on preparing dinner.

            “Can I help with anything?” Kai asked as he set the last of the groceries down upon the table.

            “No, no, I’ve got this,” Jess assured him. “Why don’t you go put away your new clothes?”

            “Ok,” the merman murmured before disappearing down the hall to so.

            Nearly halfway through the unpacking process, Jess stopped and counted the bags. He frowned. One was missing.

            “Hey Dad, what happened to my sodas?” he called across the intervening space between the dining room and the kitchen.

            “I remember paying for them and seeing them get bagged,” John replied, sounding unconcerned as he stood over a sizzling stove. “Did you check the car again?”

            “I’ll go do that,” Jess said, getting up.

            They weren’t in the car. He checked the front seat and the trunk, the only places they could be, and to be thorough, he checked the back seat just in case. No sodas to be had here.

            “They’re not in the car,” he announced as he came in from the garage.

            “They must still be in the store then,” John sighed. The smell of cooking meat accompanied his words as he said, “I can’t drive back and get them right now, and I’d rather you not go driving around on a Sunday afternoon when the roads are busy. You’ll just have to wait.”

            “I can walk and get them,” Jess suggested.

            “You have homework to do,” his father chided.

            “It’s not that much,” Jess insisted. “It’s only about three hours’ worth of work, and it’s not even five o’clock yet. I’ll only be gone for a half hour, promise.”

            “Alright,” John conceded after a moment. He turned and waved the wooden spoon he’d been using to stir the meat in Jess’s direction as he added sternly, “But you _will_ start your homework as soon as you return. Now, finish unpacking the groceries first, and then see if Kai wants to go with you.”

            “Of course!” Jess agreed readily, though he doubted the merman would be inclined to venture out in public so soon after his last trip.

            In just a few minutes, the groceries were all unpacked and stored in their proper places. Jess slipped the receipt into his pocket before going in search of Kai. He found the merman tucked into one corner of the couch, a book in his hands. He looked so peaceful and content there that Jess was sure he would decline to leave the house.

            “Will there be lots of people?” Kai asked apprehensively when Jess presented the invitation.

            “Not really,” Jess said, mulling it over in his head. “No more than when we were there a few minutes ago. I’ll probably have to talk to someone at the front desk so they know I’m not trying to steal the sodas, but that’s about it. It won’t be like at the Plaza, if that’s what you’re worried about. It’ll be a quick trip.”

            He expected Kai to politely refuse, and that would have been just fine with him. There was no need to put Kai in more uncomfortable situations than was absolutely necessary. That’s why he was surprised when the merman agreed to go with him.

            “Let me just get my keys,” Jess said a bit lamely, still befuddled with surprise.

            After a quick dash upstairs to his bedroom, Jess had his house keys and was ready to go. Kai carefully marked his place in the book with a slip of paper, and John waved them out the door as they said a short goodbye. Locking the front door behind him, Jess turned and saw Kai hovering at the edge of the porch. The merman stood tense as if he were steeling himself for the trip. Jess frowned. No one should have to endure this much fear for a simple trip to the grocery store.

            “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” he reminded Kai gently.

            The merman shook his head firmly and declared, “I _want_ to come.”

            “If you’re sure,” Jess said, giving Kai one more chance to back out.

            Instead of replying, Kai set out with a determined stride, leaving Jess to catch up. They walked in silence for half a block before Kai sighed.

            “I don’t want to feel scared like this,” he admitted. “When we arrived at the Plaza this morning and I saw all the people, I felt paralyzed. I was so scared that they’d see me and that they’d know just by looking at me what I am… I don’t think I could have moved if I hadn’t had your hand to hold. I just kept thinking about the innkeeper and about what happened to the mermaids at the end of all the old stories I was told growing up.”

            “What happened in the stories?” Jess asked. In hindsight this probably went against his better judgement, but he was too curious not know.

            “In the end, the villagers would catch them in nets and drag them to the center of the town,” Kai murmured, his face growing pale. “Their throats were slit so that they couldn’t bewitch anyone with their songs, and then their bodies were burned before the life had fully left them. The villagers would eat the roasted flesh afterwards. It’s said that mermaid flesh cures all illnesses and grants prolonged life.”

            “That’s pretty horrifying,” Jess said. He willed himself not to picture it, not to imagine that it was Kai in the flames. He shuddered, his mind rebelling in horror against the thought. “That wouldn’t ever happen today though. These are modern times, and people would think that sort of thing was barbaric and primitive, so there’s no need to fear that happening to you. You’re safe.”

            “Can you say that nothing just as bad would happen if I was discovered now though?” Kai asked pointedly.

            “No,” Jess agreed reluctantly. In fact, he could imagine pretty well what would happen if Kai’s secret was discovered. He would be taken away to some secure facility where scientists would study and experiment on him mercilessly with little care for the merman’s well-being or feelings. Jess couldn’t let that happen.

            “I’m always going to be afraid of that,” Kai murmured quietly before giving a firm shake of his head. “But I don’t want to be afraid of _people_. And the more time we spent in the Plaza today, the more I saw that no one seemed to notice that I’m different, especially while wearing this dress. It’s like a disguise.”

            “That’s not the only reason you’re wearing it though,” Jess pressed. “If a disguise is what you want, a new pair of shorts and a t-shirt would work just fine, especially if you got your hair cut short. People would think you’re just a regular boy. You don’t have to wear a dress.”

            “Shorts make me uncomfortable,” Kai admitted. “They’re not as bad as pants, but they still remind me of the tail. The dresses don’t; that’s something I like about them.”

            There was a lapse in the conversation as they concentrated on crossing one of the busier intersections without putting themselves in the path of oncoming traffic. They were only one block away from the main road now.

            “You don’t have to worry about me,” Kai spoke up once they reached the other side.

            “What?” Jess said blankly.

            “If you’re worried that I’ll get offended by someone mistaking me for a girl, don’t be,” Kai said. “I really don’t mind if people think I’m a girl. I already look the part, so it’s easier to let them believe that.”

            “That’s not what I’m worried about,” Jess admitted reluctantly.

            “Then what is?” Kai asked, a note of confusion in his voice.

            “It’s just that…” Jess sighed and carded a hand through his hair. _Might as well say it now._ “Some people are really set in their beliefs, and they believe that there’s some rule out there that says that only girls should wear dresses. Sometimes those people will say or do really hurtful things to anyone that doesn’t follow that rule, and I don’t want to see them target you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

            Kai was silent for a long moment, and Jess worried about what the merman must be thinking. The cool brush of Kai’s hand sliding into his own shook him out of his worrying, and he looked up into an intense amethyst gaze.

            “Earlier this morning you promised to protect me from anyone who would try to hurt me,” Kai reminded him quietly. “Would you still mean that if I was wearing a dress?”

            “Of course!” Jess answered immediately, dismayed that Kai even felt the need to ask that.

            “Then I have no reason to fear that.” Kai smiled at him with something a little more than gratitude before continuing, “The point I was trying to make earlier is that I don’t want to be afraid of _people_ , and I’ve decided that the best way for me to overcome that fear is to accustom myself to being around them. Maybe then I can convince myself that I don’t have to fear them on principle.”

            “It sounds like a good plan,” Jess said, squeezing Kai’s hand gently in his own. “Let’s give it a shot.”

            Kai smiled again, and Jess was caught unprepared for its brilliance. It was the best kind of smile, bright and sweet and full of life, and Jess was a little afraid of the effect it was having on him. It shook him how much he was willing to do for the chance to see that smile, and for a split moment he wanted to flee from the merman as if his life depended on it. The moment passed though, leaving him blinking in bewilderment as the merman called his name.

            “Are you alright?” Kai asked. The beautiful smile was chased away by a frown. “Your face went blank for a moment.”

            “I’m fine,” Jess answered automatically, though in truth he was still a bit dazed.

            Kai didn’t seem all too convinced, but thankfully he didn’t press. Their conversation faded away after that, leaving Jess to muddle his way through the sudden onslaught of emotions he’d felt. When had he become so protective of the merman? While it was true he had always been protective of his friends and family and desired their happiness, this felt… different in some way, as if it was unique to Kai. Why though, he had no idea.

            The sidewalk running alongside the main highway through town was busier than on the offshoot of road that led to their house, and Jess could sense Kai’s unease beginning to resurface. He squeezed the merman’s hand again, the one small comfort he could give while guiding them quickly past any people they encountered. The sidewalk on the other side of the road seemed less crowded, so Jess led them across at the first opportunity. Exposing Kai to crowds in order to help him overcome his fear of people may sound like a good plan, but Jess knew that there was still a limit to how much exposure the merman could take.

            It wasn’t long before they arrived at the store. Jess led the way to the customer service desk, thankful that it was set in a quiet niche apart from the rest of the store. He pulled the receipt from his pocket and presented it to the young woman behind the desk, explaining that the 6-pack of orange sodas listed on it had not made it into his father’s car and therefore must still be in the store. The clerk took the receipt and scanned it, humming thoughtfully.

            “Wait right here and I’ll get it sorted out for you,” she finally announced before turning and exiting through a door behind the counter.

            The wait took no more than a few minutes, and when the clerk returned, she handed Jess the plastic bag containing his sodas along with his receipt.

            “Sorry about that,” she apologized with an appeasing smile. “Is there anything else we can do for you today?”

            “No, that’s all I need. Thanks!” Jess said after checking the contents of the bag. He turned on his heels and led the way out of the store again.

            “That was easy,” Kai commented as they stepped outside. His tone suggested he had not expected as much.

            “Of course it was.” Jess arched an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

            “They didn’t think you were trying to steal from them?” Kai asked. “If you tried something like that in the markets my mother took me to as a child, they would curse you out for a liar and a thief.”

            “Well, things have changed since then,” Jess pointed out, fishing the receipt out of the bag. “First, I have this receipt that proves that the sodas were paid for, so no one’s going to think I’m stealing them. Second, even if they didn’t believe me, giving away five dollars’ worth of goods is better than losing a customer’s business entirely. They’d end up losing more money than they would save, since most people spend easily ten times what these sodas cost every week. That’s why the clerk was so nice about the whole situation: so that we’d continue to shop there. It’s not like that’s the only grocery store in town.”

            “I didn’t think about that,” Kai admitted. “I suppose the market vendors I’ve seen couldn’t afford to not be suspicious because they’d lose money if they gave away their goods without being certain they’d been paid first, and they knew their goods would be bought by someone sooner or later.”

            “There’s probably more to it than just that,” Jess said, thinking about his recent lessons in his Economics class.

            “There probably was,” Kai agreed. “My father used to teach me things like this, but shipping goods is a completely different industry to selling them.”

            “It’s not entirely different,” Jess said.

            He was gearing up to launch into a full discussion about competition and supply versus demand when he spotted them. They walked casually on the opposite side of the road, their heads bent together as if conspiring about something. Jess froze mid-step, words dying in his throat. Shock hit him like lightning, setting every nerve in his body on edge. He hadn’t expected this, hadn’t planned or prepared for it. In a second they would look up and spot him in return, and then there would be no avoiding the confrontation any longer.

            “Jess?” Kai asked, frowning up at him, completely oblivious to Jess’s sudden panic. “Is something wrong?”

            “We gotta go,” he gritted out between clenched teeth, snatching up one of Kai’s hands in his own. His eyes darted about wildly, looking for an escape. They landed on an alleyway that opened up between two buildings not ten feet ahead of them. “This way, come on!”

            All but dragging the bewildered merman behind him, Jess took off down the alley. It was already too late though, as he heard someone shout, _“Hey!”_ in a voice that was all too familiar to him. The screeching of tires filled the air behind them as cars swerved or braked suddenly to avoid a collision. Jess didn’t stop or look back to see what was happening though. He just ran with Kai in tow.

            It would be no use though. Jess knew from years of familiarity with his pursuer that she was faster than him. The only chance of escape would be to use another alley to bring them back out onto the main road and hope to cross it quickly so that they might disappear down one of the many side roads that branched from it. Then they might stand a chance of losing her in the network of residential streets and cul-de-sacs while making their way back to home and safety.

            Another alleyway opened up ahead of them. Jess knew this one. It opened up between a jewelry shop and the old karaoke bar he’d spent so many summer days in. He turned sharply, tugging at Kai’s hand to lead him up the alley. His hopes of escape flared as he entered the familiar alley…

            … Only to be brought crashing down again as he nearly collided with a chain-link fence.

            “No, no, no!” Jess groaned, dropping both Kai’s hand and the sodas to grip at the links of the fence and rattle them in disbelief. “Where the hell did this come from?!”

            “Jess!” Kai’s warning cry brought him whirling back around again to face the way they’d come, but he didn’t have even a moment to brace himself before he was slammed back into the fence.

            “What the hell is wrong with you?!” the girl screamed in his face, her fists clenched tight in the fabric of his shirt. Her mess of dark curls seemed to bristle like a mane around her head, and Jess was pierced by the fury that blazed in her honey brown eyes.

            “C-Carla,” he wheezed, fighting to regain the breath she’d driven out of him.

            “You’re an asshole, you know that?!” she shouted at him. “A fucking asshole!”

            “I can explain,” he huffed out.

            “Oh, _now_ you wanna talk about it?” she spat, letting go of his shirt in favor of crossing her arms over her chest. Jess slumped against the fence, catching himself with a hand in the links before his knees could fully give out. She eyed him scathingly, a dark picture of fury and contempt as she spat, “You think _now’s_ the right time to be having this conversation?”

            “I know how bad this sounds,” Jess admitted, cringing as the words left his mouth. “Would you accept that I just didn’t know what to say?”

            “How about the truth, hmm?” she spat. “Would it have killed you to say, ‘Thanks for the sex and all, but I don’t want to get involved in a relationship with you’? Is that so hard?”

            Jess stared at her, dumbfounded. He had been expecting something like this for months now, but he hadn’t expected her to be so _blunt_ about it. Of course, this was Carla he was dealing with, and she was never shy about speaking her mind. She glared at him and waited for a response.

            “I’m sorry,” he finally muttered, carding a hand through his hair to hide his growing aggravation. He just wanted this whole thing to be over with so that they could go their separate ways and he could get on with living his life! “God, I’m sorry! I made a lot of stupid decisions that night, and I regret all of it! There, happy now?”

            “You shouldn’t regret all of it.” Carla pulled a face at him. “I thought the sex was pretty great. But apology accepted. It’s gonna take a lot more than that though to make it up to me! Do you know how long it’s been since we last talked? Months! We need to make up for lost time!”

            Before Jess could say anything to shut down her all too obvious expectations, a whimper drew their attention to Kai. The merman stood paralyzed, watching their exchange with wide, frightened eyes. Carla’s entire face lit up with interest.

            “Hello~” she cooed, moving towards the merman with the sort of fluid grace that reminded Jess of a leopard closing in on its prey. “Who’s this cutie?”

            Kai shrank back from her, casting a panicked glance in Jess’s direction. Something flared within Jess, and he pushed himself between Carla and Kai, shoving her back a step. She frowned at him like she was going to scold him for being rude.

            “Back off, Carla!” he snapped. “Can’t you see you’re scaring him?”

            “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Carla gasped rather theatrically, but to her credit, she backed away a few more paces. “Really, I didn’t mean to frighten anyone!”

            “Throwing someone into a fence tends to have that effect,” Jess retorted.

            “You’re the one who led us all down these creepy alleys. Nothing scary about that,” Carla retorted right back. She flicked one of her curls out of her face and asked, “You didn’t know about the fence, did you?”

            Jess shook his head, earning a grin from Carla in response.

            “It’s new,” she informed him smugly. “They just put it up last month after the jeweler had a break in. They figured it’ll make it easier for the cops to catch any future burglars since they can’t escape through the alleys so easily. Of course, you would know that if you were still hanging out with me. We’ll fix that though.”

            Jess frowned, ready to object, when a boy came running into the alley, effectively distracting them all. The boy swayed somewhat as he slowed before abruptly doubling over, wheezing.

            “Geez, Carla… Why… do you have… to run… so fast!” the boy managed between each gasping breath.

            “It’s not my fault that you can’t keep up in those flip flops,” Carla said, frowning at him. “Honestly, you’re the one who insists on wearing them at every opportunity. You’d wear them to school if it wasn’t against the dress code!”

            “Flip flops are comfortable though!” he sulked, looking up from his still bent over position to fix Carla with a plaintive, puppy-dog gaze, made all the more effective by his doughy brown eyes. “They’re especially great for wearing to the beach – which is where I thought we were going!”

            “I got distracted,” she said nonchalantly, shrugging one shoulder.

            The boy straightened up to his full height – which wasn’t much, considering the top of his head was just barely level with Jess’s nose, making him easily the shortest person present – and gave Carla the most aggrieved look he could muster. He failed miserably to make much of an impression though in his current state, what with his casual beach attire, big brown eyes, and mussed blond hair. Hardly the picture of intimidating. Before he could voice anymore complaints though, his eyes slid over to Jess, and instantly the aggrieved look vanished, replaced by a bright grin of surprised delight.

            “Jess!” he exclaimed, taking a few excited steps towards him. “Oh man, it’s been forever! Where’ve you been? And– Wait, who’s the girl?”

            Before Jess could correct him, Carla cuffed the boy soundly across the back of his head in rebuke. Jess knew that it wasn’t a harsh blow by any means, but the boy yelped indignantly all the same and brought his hands up to fend off any other attacks.

            “What was that for?!” he whined, reproach glinting in his eyes as he pouted.

            “Aussie, we’ve talked about this,” Carla admonished. “It’s rude to go around making assumptions about people based on how they look and dress!” She spun around to face Jess and Kai and, true to her overdramatic nature, made a great show of bowing apologetically to them. “I’m sorry for my brother. He’s still unlearning certain gender stereotypes. What are your preferred pronouns?”

            “What?” Kai squeaked out from behind Jess.

            “I think Carla’s trying to ask whether you’re a girl or a boy,” Jess tried to explain.

            Carla leveled him an annoyed look that clearly said she thought _he_ needed to unlearn some gender stereotypes as well before giving a short nod. Kai’s eyes flicked back and forth between them, as if he was looking for some sort of hint.

            “Tell them whatever you want,” Jess advised in a low tone meant only for Kai’s ears.

            “I promise I won’t bite~” Carla added cheekily, smiling a Cheshire smile.

            “I-I’m a boy, i-if that’s what you mean,” Kai stuttered nervously. His cheeks colored with embarrassment as he looked down at his feet and murmured, “I just like to wear dresses. That’s all.”

            “There’s nothing wrong with that!” Carla was quick to assure him. “Boys can wear dresses, same as anyone else, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! We just didn’t want to offend you by referring to you with the wrong gender or pronouns. Are he, his, and him good pronouns for you?”

            Kai bit his lip before looking up again and giving her a tiny nod. She smiled in response.

            “I like your dress,” she offered. “It’s very pretty.”

            “T-thank you,” Kai stammered, and Jess tried to tell himself that he was only imagining that Kai sounded more flustered than nervous now.

            She smiled wider before asking, “What’s your name?”

            “Kai.” He offered her a shy smile in return.

            “I’m Carla, and this is my brother, Aussie.” She grinned and threw an arm loosely across the blond boy’s shoulders.

            “Nice to meet you,” Kai said, and to Jess’s surprise, the merman didn’t sound the least bit afraid anymore.

            Carla grinned for a moment longer before she schooled her expression into a more serious one.

            “I’m really sorry for scaring you earlier,” she said in earnest. “I really meant no harm. Sometimes I get a little carried away when I’m mad at someone.”

            “That’s an understatement,” Jess muttered under his breath.

            The words were barely loud enough for his own ears to hear, yet Carla scowled at him as if he’d been shouting at her.

            “I _might_ have overreacted,” she conceded bitingly, “but I’m not the only one! You’ve been avoiding me for the last four months all because you didn’t want to talk to me after having sex! We’ve been best friends for eleven years now, and you almost ruined that!”

            Jess bit his tongue to keep from yelling all the ways she was wrong. The sex wasn’t the only thing that drove him to such extremes; it was the fist fights she dragged him into after school. It was the beers she placed freely in his hands. It was the way she enabled the worst of his habits. The sex had merely been an eye-opener and shown him that he needed to turn his back on those things – but in doing so, he had to turn his back on _her_ as well.

            It couldn’t be done as simply as that though. He couldn’t just tell her that he didn’t want to be around her anymore; that was the surest way to make her dig her claws in and cling to him. No, the only solution he’d come to was to avoid her until she finally gave up on him. Maybe it might have worked too, if given enough time. But Carla was a hard person to avoid – that was true of any person who knew your habits and routine just as well as you yourself did. This confrontation had been bound to happen eventually, and now that it had, Jess had a feeling she wouldn’t let him get away from her again.

            They’d been staring at each other for several moments now, sizing each other up. Jess sighed and bowed his head in defeat. There was no point in burning bridges if Carla was determined to build them back up again.

            “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, putting all the shame and guilt he’d felt upon waking up naked in her bed into those words. “I was being stupid. I should have talked to you instead of avoiding you like this. Can we please put it behind us?”

            “If you’re asking for my forgiveness,” Carla said, one side of her mouth quirking downwards in the beginning of a frown, “I’m not sure I can give it just like that. But I’m not going to ruin our friendship over it, so how about this: you’ll owe me a favor. Anything I ask.”

            Jess grimaced. At best, Carla’s favors could be embarrassing in the extreme; at worst, they could get messy and violent, and he wasn’t about to get involved with that again.

            “I can’t do that,” Jess said with a firm shake of his head.

            “Why not?” Her frown deepened.

            “Maybe because I don’t want to go to jail?” he suggested dryly. “A lot of your favors tend to be a bit on the illegal side.”

            “It’s not like the police have ever been involved,” Carla pointed out, shrugging. “But if that’s what’s bothering you, then fine. I’ll keep my favors perfectly legal from now on.”

            Bristling, Jess opened his mouth to argue, only to falter as her words sank in.

            “That’s it?” He eyed her warily. “No fuss, no arguing? You’re just going to do as I asked?”

            “What’s there to argue about?” Carla said, shrugging again. “Really, you must think I’m some awful person if you think I’m going to force you to do something you honestly don’t want to do. When have I ever forced you into doing anything?”

            “How about all the fights you dragged me into after school?” Jess suggested pointedly.

            “I didn’t drag you into those,” Carla deadpanned. “If anything, you dragged _me_ in because I couldn’t sit back and watch you get beaten up so badly. For a guy who knows how to throw a decent punch, you sure don’t know how to block one. But I’ve never asked you to take part in any of my fights save for that first one, and I was under the impression that you willingly agreed to help me with that. I didn’t _make_ you fight anyone.”

            “But… the beer then!” Jess tried again, a sliver of doubt forming in his mind.

            “All I ever did was hand you the bottle and ask you if you want some,” she said slowly, as if she were explaining something to a child. “You could have handed it right back. It’s not like I force-fed it to you!”

            “But… but…” Jess floundered.

            “Oh my god,” Carla interrupted, a look of horror creeping onto her face. “Please don’t tell me you think I forced you to have sex with me!”

            The look of lost confusion and distress on his face must have been answer enough for her, for Carla lowered her face into her hands and made a low, wounded sound.

            “I should have asked,” she whispered to herself, though the words filled the entire alley. “I should have asked clearly and explicitly if you wanted to.” Her face jerked up to stare at him, her normally tawny complexion pale and distraught, and her voice became a shout. “Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t want to have sex with me?!”

            “We were a little drunk at the time!” Jess protested weakly. Everything about this situation was making him uncomfortable, and it didn’t help that they had an audience. Aussie’s eyes darted back and forth between them, confusion written clearly upon his face, and Jess couldn’t bring himself to turn and meet Kai’s eyes for fear of what he might find there. Instead, he pressed on. “I don’t think either of us were really thinking about what we were doing, and it didn’t seem like a bad idea at the time.”

            “Oh god,” she muttered again, tearing her fingers through her hair. “How could I be so stupid?!”

            There was an uncomfortable silence for a long moment before Jess tentatively said, “We were both being kind of stupid.”

            Carla looked up at him, her face still pale and stricken. She gave a tiny nod.

            “Let’s agree not to be stupid anymore,” she suggested softly. She took a couple of steps closer until she was within arm’s reach of Jess, then prodded him sternly in the ribs, causing him to wince. “And from now on, just talk to me and tell me what’s going on in that head of yours before you go avoiding me!”

            “Deal,” he agreed, cracking the first smile since Carla had chased them into the alley.

            Her stern expression softened, and she held her arms outstretched to him.

            “Hug and make up?” she requested hopefully.

            “Sure.” He held out his arms to her in turn.

            She went into the hug gladly, wrapping herself around him the way they’d done when they were kids on the playground after a scuffle. It was like nothing had really changed.

            “Group hug!” came a shout, and suddenly Aussie had his arms thrown over both of them, dragging them down to his height as he grinned.

            Carla wriggled and squirmed, and Jess thought she was only trying to find a more comfortable position, but she surprised him by speaking over his shoulder.

            “Do you wanna join us?”

            Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that Kai was hanging back, watching their tiny group with a mixture of nerves and longing. The merman bit his lip before nodding. Carla grinned and unlatched herself from Jess, making a gap for Kai to squeeze in. He ended up pressed to Jess’s side, his arms woven around Jess’s torso and his head resting against Jess’s neck. When Carla closed the loop again, the hug became crushingly tight as it engulfed him, but Jess wouldn’t have it any other way. It really was the perfect sort of hug.


	11. Chapter 11

            The following Monday was… an adjustment for Jess. His morning routine went normally enough. He woke, dressed, gathered his things for school, and headed downstairs for a quick bite of breakfast. His father already had a plate of eggs and toast waiting for him as he came down the stairs. The only difference to this routine had been the addition of another plate and another person at the counter.

            John was already explaining to Kai that he and Jess would be out of the house for a number of hours as Jess joined them, showing Kai where both their cell phone numbers were posted on a piece of paper hanging on the refrigerator and instructing the merman to call them in the event of an emergency. Jess wondered briefly if Kai would even know how to operate the house phone; after all, the technology had changed since the days of the first telephone. He added that to the mental list he’d begun compiling of devices he would have to teach the merman how to use when they had a moment alone together.

            School was where things started to deviate from the norm. After claiming a table for himself in the cafeteria during lunch, he found himself almost immediately set upon by Carla and Aussie. The two of them just plopped themselves down at his table and started chatting and eating as if nothing were out of the ordinary. There was no mention of yesterday’s confrontation or of Kai at all, just the usual conversation about teachers and classmates and homework. If they could tell that Jess found their behavior unnerving, they didn’t let on.

            The walk home went in much the same way. Jess managed to walk half a block from the school before Carla and Aussie caught up to him. They walked on either side of him, and Jess got the sneaking suspicion that they did so to be sure he wouldn’t try to run from them. They acted casually enough, but he couldn’t help eyeing them suspiciously from the corner of his eye.

            When they walked up to Jess’s front door, he thought that would be where their weird shadowing behavior would end, but he was wrong. As he unlocked the door, he was intensely aware of their presence hovering behind him. Huffing with annoyance, he turned and said, “Well? Are you gonna head home now?”

            Carla and Aussie exchanged a glance before staring at him owlishly.

            “We wanted to hang out,” Aussie said finally.

            “And see the cutie again,” Carla added, grinning.

            “You mean Kai?” Jess asked, bewildered. All this just so they could visit Kai?

            “Yeah.” Carla’s grin turned wolfish. “Aren’t you gonna let us in?”

            Still bewildered, Jess pushed the front door open and said, “Make yourselves at home.”

            They stepped over the threshold and did just that, dropping their bags and stretching in the doorway. Jess had to skirt around them in order to enter his own home.

            “If you’ll excuse me, I have to warn Kai you’re here,” he mumbled before making his escape down the hall.

            The merman’s door was closed. He knocked softly and waited for Kai’s quiet beckoning before entering. Inside, Kai was perched on the edge of his bed, reading a book that Jess recognized from the collection his father kept in his room. Kai looked up and smiled as Jess came in.

            “You’re back,” he greeted warmly, and Jess felt the day’s tension finally begin to ease in the merman’s welcoming presence.

            “Yeah,” he agreed. “I hope you didn’t get too lonely while I was gone.”

            “It’s nothing that I’m not used to,” Kai dismissed easily.

            “Oh,” Jess mumbled, feeling a pang of guilt. He was supposed to be alleviating the merman’s loneliness, not adding to it. That was the whole reason he’d pushed to have Kai here with him, wasn’t it?

            “It feels like time passed more quickly than usual, thanks to this book,” Kai commented, smiling and holding it up to show him. “I haven’t read a book in ages. Now I think I’d be happy if I could keep reading forever!”

            “That’s good,” Jess said, mustering a brief smile in response. He ran a hand through his hair, unsure of a gentle way to warn the merman about their surprise house guests. Finally, he just came out and said it.

            “Carla and Aussie are here. They want to see you.”

            The smile faltered on Kai’s face as he stiffened in surprise. The look on his face could only be described as a deer in the headlights, caught off guard and uncertain of how to respond.

            “I can send them home if you want me to, or I can tell them you don’t feel like hanging out today,” he said quickly, taking a step toward the merman with a soothing hand outstretched, trying to calm him. “You don’t have to be around them.”

            “What? No, no! It’s fine,” the merman said in a rush as he forced himself to relax. “You just startled me, that’s all. I’ll be fine.”

            “Are you sure?” Jess pressed, concerned. Though Kai was trying his best to appear calm and composed, he sat poised on the edge of his bed as if he might still jump up and try to flee at any moment. “If you’re nervous, I can make them go away.”

            “I’ll be fine,” Kai repeated decisively, setting his book aside. A slight frown creased his brow, and Jess recognized it as the look of determination he’d seen on Kai’s face the previous day when they’d set out for the grocery store he second time. “This will be good for me. I need to get used to the company of other people.”

            “What will you tell them though?” Jess asked. The frown on Kai’s face changed to one of confusion, and he elaborated, “About your past? They’re going to ask. I know they will.”

            “Not the truth,” Kai said quickly, his face paling as he shook his head. “Anything but that.”

            “Of course not, but you have to tell them something,” Jess coaxed.

            “We told your father that I was living alone on the streets of Falen when we met. I can tell them that, can’t I?” Kai suggested hopefully.

            “That would work, but what about before that part?” Jess pressed. “They’re bound to ask about your childhood. They’re too nosy not to.”

            “I don’t know,” Kai murmured, his eyes dropping to where his hands were clenched in his lap. “I imagine my childhood was quite different from what’s considered normal in this day and age. What should I tell them?”

            Jess ran a hand through his hair again as he considered the problem. Whatever story they decided upon, it would need to explain why he’d never attended school and how he had ended up homeless on the streets – an odd combination of factors that he found difficult to reconcile with each other. Finally he came up with a plausible lie.

            “Tell them that your family was really poor,” Jess said. “They couldn’t afford to send you to school, so your mom homeschooled you whenever she wasn’t out at her job. I know it’s far from the truth, but we need them to believe that if something happened to your parents, no one would be around to notice or care if you wound up homeless on the streets.”

            Kai drew a deep breath and nodded. The look of determination was back, as if he was preparing to face down his greatest foe – not a pair of over-excitable teenagers. Jess looked on in concern.

            “You know, it’s not too late. I can go out there and tell them to come back some other day,” he offered again.

            Before Kai could answer though, Carla’s voice rang out from the other room.

            “Jess! Hope you don’t mind, but I’m helping myself to one of your sodas!”

            The sound of her voice was enough to set Jess on edge again, and he shouted back, “Don’t you dare! You still owe me three since the last time you came over!”

            There was a pause, and then: “Too late! What’s taking so long?”

            Huffing with irritation, he was about to march back out into the living room and give Carla a piece of his mind when he heard Kai giggle.

            “Your friends seem very boisterous,’’ Kai remarked, trying to stifle his giggling behind a hand.

            “They take some getting used to,” Jess grumbled halfheartedly. It was hard to be annoyed when Kai seemed so amused by their antics.

            “I’d like to,” Kai said, his hand dropping to reveal his smile. “They don’t seem like bad people. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

            “If you say so,” Jess conceded reluctantly. He turned, hovering his hand over the door knob, and asked, “Shall we?”

            Kai stood, smoothing the wrinkles out of his dress – the same aqua sundress he’d worn yesterday, Jess noted – and nodded. Jess swung the door open and led the way out, conscious of the merman’s presence behind him. Some small part of his mind reasoned that if he placed himself in front of Kai, he might provide him with one last shield against the barrage that was Carla and Aussie.

            Said pair was lounging in the living room. True to her word, Carla was sprawled on the couch sipping at one of Jess’s orange sodas while her brother sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the TV, apparently having reconnected the old gaming console Jess used to play on when he was younger. The blond boy paid them no mind as Jess and Kai entered the room, engrossed as he was in the video game he’d pilfered from the dusty collection on the shelf, but Carla looked up at them and grinned.

            “Hey, cutie~” she cooed at Kai. “Glad to see ya again.”

            “Hi,” Kai managed to say with only the barest hint of a stammer.

            Still grinning, Carla sat up and patted the couch cushion next to her. “Why don’t you come sit over here? We want to get to know you better.”

            “‘We?’” Jess echoed while Kai sat down at arm’s length from her. That left Jess in the awkward position of being forced to sit in the loveseat. It was the closest he could be to Kai without either sitting in the space between him and Carla or otherwise hovering at the end of the couch just behind the merman. Either option would make him look foolish at best, and drastically overprotective at worst – neither of which he wanted.

            “Yes, ‘we,’” Carla said, waving a hand at her brother, “though Aussie seems to be more interested in playing games than in socializing.”

            “I can listen and play at the same time!” Aussie protested without even pausing to look at them. “I don’t have these games at home, and this one’s a classic!”

            Carla snorted and rolled her eyes, leaning in to murmur in a conspiratorial tone to Kai, “Pay no mind to him. Why don’t you go ahead and tell me about yourself?”

            With a deep breath, Kai began to recite a story of how he had grown up in a poor family in Falen. In the story, his mother and father had worked tirelessly to make ends meet, and yet they still could not afford the luxury of sending their son to school, so every spare moment when they were home was spent teaching him the things he would need to one day enter the workforce himself. In spite of their struggles, they led a fairly contented life.

            As he recited, every here and there Kai would stumble over some small detail, and Jess would have to refrain from jumping in with some clarification or explanation of his own. Kai needed to be the one telling the story here, and he was doing a fair job of it if the way Carla was listening with intense fascination was any indication.

            “And then… Father got sick.” The pitch of Kai’s voice dipped as his story took a sad turn. “He got really sick. He had this terrible cough that wouldn’t go away, and he had trouble breathing a lot of the time. He was too weak to work, but we couldn’t afford to see a doctor. We didn’t have the money for it! And then he… he died.”

            “Oh!” Carla gave a little gasp of sympathy and reached out to clasp one of Kai’s hands in her own. “It’s ok, hun, you don’t have to say anymore.”

            Jess expected that to be the moment when Kai would flinch and draw away from her, but to his surprise, Kai did not resist the contact, instead giving her a faint smile of gratitude.

            “Things got hard after that,” the merman continued in a more subdued tone. “We had to sell our house and move into this small dwelling space above an old shop, and Mother took on an extra job as a seamstress to pay for food. We carried on like that for a little while, but I think it got to be too much for her. She passed away only a year later…”

            The conversation hit a lull as Carla sat in quiet sympathy, patting Kai’s hand. Jess wasn’t sure whether he wanted to bristle indignantly that she would take it upon herself to comfort the merman or to silently bask in the knowledge that she would never know Kai’s real history.

            “If you don’t mind me asking,” Carla said after a moment, changing the subject as she pointed at Jess, “how did you come to meet Mr. Grumpy over there?”

            “I’m not grumpy!” Jess protested, flushing up defensively.

            “Oh really? You’ve been glaring daggers at me for the past five minutes,” Carla teased, shooting him a grin.

            Jess flushed with embarrassment when he realized he had, in fact, been positively glowering at her. He turned away, grumbling under his breath, and missed the look Kai was giving him.

            “I found Jess in the abandoned warehouse building where I was staying after my mother’s passing,” Kai said, and the softness of his tone drew Jess’s attention back to him. “His hands and legs were bound, and there was a wound on his forehead. He must have been left there to die. I… I couldn’t have left him like that… So I guess I rescued him.”

            “Whoa, hold on a second!” Aussie burst in, startling all three of them. He’d abandoned the controller and was half twisted around where he sat to stare at them. “Jess almost died?”

            “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Jess deflected. He couldn’t allow them to overthink the situation, or else they might start asking questions that would unravel the lie. Best to keep the details simple and to a minimum. “Some thugs knocked me out and put me in a warehouse. They might have come back later and let me go if Kai hadn’t been there to help me out then. It’s not a big deal.”

            This prompted Aussie to go into a tirade about how it was _totally a big deal,_ complete with some pop culture reference in which he described how _he_ would have escaped such a situation in the same manner as his favorite swashbuckling hero. Jess had to concede that such a stunt would have been far cooler than his simple escape before the boy would settle down and go back to playing the video game again.

            This was the sort of shenanigans Aussie was known for, and Jess had to chuckle at how familiar it all was. He expected to hear Carla laughing along with him, but the girl remained silent, and when Jess caught her eye, her gaze was hard as it bore into him. He frowned at her and said nothing.

            “May I ask how you and Jess met?” Kai inquired, providing a welcome distraction that diverted Carla’s attention back to the merman.

            “Oh, we met a _long_ time ago,” Carla said, waving a hand for emphasis. “We practically grew up together! See, my dad, Aussie, and I moved to this town when I was seven and Aussie was four. I was having a hard time fitting in at my new school, being the new kid and all. It’s kind of like I was an outcast. Jess was the only kid who would talk to me and play with me after school. He didn’t have very many friends of his own, so we bonded. We’ve been best friends ever since!”

            She shot Jess another grin that didn’t quite meet her eyes before abruptly jumping up from the couch.

            “You’ll be seeing a lot more of us from now on, but for now it’s time for Aussie and I to be heading home!” she declared briskly. “Come on, Aussie!”

            “Aww, right now?” the blond boy groaned. “Can’t I defeat this level first?”

            “You have one minute before I leave your ass here!” she warned, folding her arms across her chest.

            While Aussie concluded his game with a stream of complaints and Carla stood by with evident impatience, Kai gave Jess a look of lost bewilderment. Jess could only shrug back, and shortly they were alone as the front door banged shut. The silence that followed was a blessing, and finally Jess allowed himself to relax.

            “Are they always like that?” Kai asked, motioning towards the door.

            “Unfortunately,” Jess said. He reached out and picked up the abandoned bottle of orange soda, still half full, from the coffee table. “Once Carla gets it into her head to do something, she can’t be stopped – and she’ll drag everyone around her with her.”

            “Is that why you two were fighting?” Kai asked quietly.

            “Sort of.” Jess grimaced and untwisted the cap from the bottle. He took a long sip, using the momentary pause to gather his thoughts. Kai deserved to know about the skeletons in his closet.

            “See, some of the people in our school are jerks and bullies, and Aussie and his friends got picked on a lot because they’re small and make pretty easy targets. Carla couldn’t stand it, so she asked me to help teach some bullies a lesson once. We kicked their butts, and for a while we kind of became like the school’s vigilantes, beating up all the bullies on behalf of the kids that can’t stand up for themselves. Except after a while, I guess I forgot why we were doing it. I started picking fights for no reason, and Carla backed me up because that’s what best friends do, you know?”

            “So what you’re saying is that you became a bully yourself?” Kai’s words were steady, and his gaze gave nothing away.

            “I guess so.” Jess paused, considering. “I’d never thought of it like that, but I suppose you could say that. That wasn’t all I did though. Carla’s dad is this pretty laid back guy who lets Carla sneak a beer or two every now and then so long as she follows some rules like not leaving the house afterwards and stuff like that. Carla doesn’t really drink all that much, but she’d sometimes give me a bottle, and I’d drink it. It was easier than thinking about… about things.”

            He swallowed thickly. The grief that had driven him to commit these acts was still too raw and painful a subject to talk about. Kai would understand though. Kai had lost his family and his home and had become what he believed to be a monster in the process. Really, it was Jess that shouldn’t be able to empathize with that kind of pain. But grief was a burden that was, if not shared, at least mutually understood, and Kai did not press him to voice it.

            “Eventually,” Jess continued shakily, “I realized that what I was doing wasn’t right, and I had to stop it. But as I said, Carla is an unstoppable force, and I realized that if I was going to make any changes in my life, I had to take her out of it. That didn’t go over so well, of course.”

            He let out a dry snort and took another sip from the bottle. Kai was watching him with a look of intensity that made him want to squirm in his seat. He cringed a little, waiting for the merman’s judgement to descend upon him.

            “So you decided it was better to push her away than to talk to her.”

            The disapproval and rebuke that Jess had expected wasn’t there. In its place was a profound sadness, and there he saw the difference between his and Kai’s grief: he may have lost his mother, but at least he’d still had other family and friends to turn to; Kai had had no one. The merman was all alone in the world, and Jess’s story had only served to remind him of that. That was no good. After all, hadn’t he asked Kai to live with him to rid him of that loneliness?

            “Yes,” Jess breathed. It was all he could say. There was no excusing or defending what he’d done; he saw that now. “I didn’t think I could trust her to understand.”

            There was a long silence before Kai finally asked, “Would you push me away like that?”

            “No!”

            They both flinched, startled by the strength of Jess’s vehement shout. When they calmed down, Jess continued in a softer tone, “I know now that I was wrong and that I should have talked to her. I’m never going to let that happen again, especially with you.”

            Kai was looking at him with that intense stare again, only it was an intensity of a different sort. Jess couldn’t help it this time; he leaped up and fled to the kitchen, making a pretense of dumping the half-consumed soda down the sink before throwing out the bottle. He ran some cool water from the faucet to rinse the sink with and splashed a little on his face, conscious that Kai had followed him and was keeping a wary distance, as if he thought that his very presence might cause Jess some further distress.

            “I’m glad,” the merman stated as Jess turned off the faucet. When Jess only stared at him blankly, he continued, “When you said you wouldn’t push me away. You’re the only person I really have. My only friend.”

            “What about Carla and Aussie? They seem to want to be your friends too,” Jess deflected, eager to latch onto a change of topic. He was afraid of where the conversation might head otherwise.

            “They’re… different,” Kai observed. “Strange, but in a good way, I think. I don’t know much about them though. I could only ask the one question before they left like that.”

            “I could probably answer any questions you have about them,” he offered.

            Kai hummed softly as if considering a question before asking, “Are they really siblings? They look so different from each other.”

            “Kind of hard to believe, but yeah,” Jess replied. “Actually, they’re half-siblings. They have the same dad, but different moms. Carla’s mom died when she was really young, before they moved to Fogwood. I don’t really know anything about Aussie’s mom though. I guess she just left when Aussie was still a baby. He doesn’t remember her, and Carla never met her. They don’t talk about her, but she’s not dead, I don’t think. I only know she left because Dad told me a little bit about it.”

            “That’s sad, growing up with only half a family,” Kai murmured, his tone dipping low and soft as if he were remembering his own lost family.

            “It’s not all that sad if you think about it,” Jess said consolingly, hoping to raise the merman’s spirits. “They still have each other and their dad, and my dad and me too. Our families are really close – we even celebrate the major holidays together! We’re kind of like one big family, when you think about it. And you’re a part of that now too.”

            Kai met his eyes as if he didn’t dare to hope to believe Jess’s words. The look was so filled with longing that Jess had to smile.

            “I mean it, Kai,” he said. “So long as you live here, you’re not alone. We’re your family now.”

            There was silence in the room, and then the quick tread of bare feet over the hardwood floors as Kai all but ran into Jess’s arms. Not a word was exchanged as he embraced Jess, and as Jess folded his arms around the merman, he found that no words were necessary. This was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up on October 24th! See you then!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnd welcome back to another episode of 'Jess is dense, Carla is nosy, Aussie's not paying attention, and Kai just needs some love,' special Birthday/Anniversary edition! Everyone wish the gang a Happy 6-Year Anniversary, with an extra special Happy Birthday to Jess in particular! It's been six years since I started this story, and it has become an integral part of my life since then. Here's to another good year! Cheers!

            “I’m bringing some clothes by your house tomorrow,” Carla announced.

            “Why?” Jess asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

            They were walking together through one of the school hallways. Classes had just let out for the day, and it was time to head home. A faint rumble in the distance spoke of an incoming thunderstorm, and as they reached the doors, they could see the sky was blanketed with thick, dark clouds.

            “Because every time I visit your house, Kai is always wearing the same two dresses,” Carla said. “That gave me the impression that those are the only dresses he owns, and he said he likes dresses. My closet is full of dresses I haven’t worn since freshman year, so I’m going to bring them over and see if Kai would like to have them.”

            “That’s actually pretty nice of you,” Jess said, surprised.

            She grinned at him before saying, “I have my moments.”

            A light rain misted down over them as they walked to the front of the school. They waited at the edge of the vehicle loading and unloading zone, knowing Aussie would be joining them shortly. Carla’s phone buzzed in her pocket, and she quickly pulled it out and read the new message.

            “Dad thinks it’s gonna start raining pretty heavily before we make it home, so he’s coming to pick us up so we don’t have to walk in the rain,” she informed Jess. “You want a ride?”

            “Sure,” he agreed. He pondered over an idea that had been nagging at him all day before asking, “Hey, do you have any books on the New Falen Shipping Company?”

            “You’re applying there too?” Carla raised an eyebrow.

            “What?” he asked, bewildered.

            “For the job opening,” she explained. “I have one book, but Aussie’s currently borrowing it to prepare for his interview.”

            “He’s getting a job?” Jess asked, surprised.

            “Yeah. Dad gave him the whole spiel about how he’ll get Aussie a car for his high school graduation present if he gets himself a job and starts saving up some money for college,” Carla explained. “It’s the same deal he gave me when I turned fifteen. He’s gonna have to save up more than I did though, since he wants to go to the big university up in Falen to study game development. I opted to stay local and take classes at the community college while I figure out what I want to do with my life.”

            “And this job pays well?” Jess asked.

            “Pretty well,” she replied. “I looked over the ad. They’re paying a full dollar over the minimum wage, and the main requirement is to help transfer packages from their dockside warehouse onto their trucks for delivery. Kid’s gonna be earning more money than I do, and he doesn’t have to deal with talking to customers all night.” She rolled her eyes in good-natured exasperation.

            “Ah,” Jess said. “Good for him. Can I borrow the book when he’s done with it?”

            “Fine by me.” Carla shrugged, eyeing him curiously. “What’s with the sudden interest, anyway?”

            “No reason,” he lied. “Just curious.”

            The truth was that he wanted to see if he could learn more about Kai’s history from the book. He hoped to glean even the smallest insight into the merman’s life from before he was changed without upsetting Kai. His family and childhood always seemed like a sensitive subject with him, and Jess didn’t want to press the merman into talking about things that would make him cry. Of course, he couldn’t explain that to Carla without revealing to her Kai’s secret.

            Carla shrugged again and waited. Just as a familiar golden sedan pulled up in front of them, Aussie came running up, panting.

            “I call shotgun!” he shouted as he neared them.

            “You’re late!” Carla reproached him. “Jess and I have been standing here for _minutes_ waiting for you!”

            “Sorry,” he huffed, folding his arms over his chest in a manner that reminded Jess of Carla. “The P.E. teacher wouldn’t let us leave until we finished running all our laps around the track! _In the rain!”_

            “It’s barely raining,” Carla retorted. “Come on, let’s just get in the car.”

            They slid into the golden sedan, Aussie in the front seat and Jess and Carla in the back. Carla and Aussie’s father turned in his seat to offer Jess a smile. The man had a lean, angular face that radiated warmth when he smiled. His hair was a dark, espresso brown, a few shades darker than Carla’s, but his eyes were the same honey shade as both of his children’s.

            “Hey, Jess, nice to see you again,” the man greeted him warmly, as if he were one of his own.

            “Hello Mr. Michaelson,” Jess said politely.

            “Please, you know you can call me Kent,” he chuckled. “We’re all family here.”

            Jess relaxed a little. True to what he had told Kai, they were family, in their own way. Kent Michaelson and John Azure were close friends – close enough that they had taken to taking turns hosting holiday meals at each other’s houses. Some of Jess’s fondest memories were of summer evenings spent playing with Carla and Aussie in the pool while their fathers idled by the barbecue, and the soft keys of his mother’s piano drifted down from the upstairs bedroom.

            There had been fewer gatherings such as those in the wake of his mother’s passing. John had been nearly inconsolable with grief, and Jess had of course sought any means of distraction to cope. Were it not for Kent’s friendship, John Azure might still be the crushed shell of a man today as he had been four years ago. Jess could not say the same for his friendship with Carla.

            “So, Jess, how’ve you been?” Kent went on as he pulled the car out of the school parking lot. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you around.”

            “Uh, fine, I guess,” Jess said. He wasn’t sure what else to say. The last thing he wanted to do was tell Carla’s father exactly why he had been absent these last few months.

            “What happened during your trip to Old Town?” Kent continued, casting a concerned glance at Jess through his rearview mirror. “Your father called to say you were missing.”

            “Oh,” Jess mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. _That_ was another thing he couldn’t tell the truth about. “Some guys jumped me and knocked me out. They must have taken me to some old warehouse and left me there, because that’s where I was when I woke up.”

            “That must have been frightening,” Kent commented, and Jess could see that the man was frowning while he watched the road. “Are you alright?”

            “Yeah,” Jess said, “thanks to Kai. He was living in that warehouse, so he found me there, and he helped me get out. He rescued me, and now he’s gonna be living with us.”

            “Kai sounds like a nice kid,” Kent said, smiling at Jess in the rearview mirror. “Carla and Aussie have been telling me about him, and I’m looking forward to meeting him one of these days. You should bring him by our house sometime.”

            “I’ll do that,” Jess promised.

            Just then, his phone buzzed with an incoming message. He pulled it out and flipped it open to reveal a new text from Carla.

_“Liar.”_

            Jess frowned at her while she smiled knowingly back. He typed out a quick response.

_“What are you talking about?”_

_“I heard you whispering with Kai the other day. Somebody’s got a secret~”_

            A chill ran up Jess’s spine. Of course she had overheard him coaching Kai on what to say about his past. Of course he had forgotten how remarkably keen her hearing was. Of course…

_“It’s none of your business!”_

_“Awww, come on! I’m your best friend~ You know your secrets are safe with me~”_

            He scowled at her, hating how she wheedled him and hating that maybe once not too long ago he might have confided in her. It would have been nice to have someone who he could talk to about mermen and magic… and _Kai._ But that time was gone now, and all that was left was Carla’s prying nature.

_“It’s not my secret to share, so mind your own business – and don’t you dare try to pester Kai about it!”_

            Carla’s face soured with irritation as she read the message, her fingers moving rapidly over the screen as she typed.

_“Fine then, have it your way!”_

            Jess sighed as he closed his phone and slid it back into his pocket. Carla did the same with her much fancier smartphone before slouching in her seat with her arms folded across her chest, huffing quietly. The remainder of the car ride was fairly silent with the exception of Aussie chattering away in the front seat about what he and his friends had planned for the weekend. Outside, the thunder rumbled away.

            The car pulled up in front of his house, and Jess grabbed his backpack from between his feet. The rain was falling in earnest now, thick, fat drops splattering on the window. It would only come down heavier as the storm progressed, and this one promised to be a particularly bad one. He opened the car door and slid out, holding it open expectantly. Carla, however didn’t make a move.

            “Aren’t you going to come in?” he asked, having given up on trying to dissuade her from rooting herself firmly back in his life. She and Aussie had followed him home after school every day for the past week; they hadn’t been the least bit shy about inviting themselves in to hang out at his house for a few hours.

            “Yeah!” Aussie exclaimed with his usual enthusiasm, fumbling hastily with his seatbelt.

            “Don’t you have an interview to prepare for?” Carla asked pointedly, arching an eyebrow at her younger brother.

            “Awww! Can’t we just stay for a little bit?” he pouted.

            “Your sister is right,” Kent reprimanded him gently. “It pays to be over-prepared for these things.”

            While Aussie made disappointed grumbles in the front seat, Carla grinned coyly at Jess and leaned across the seats.

            “Besides,” she said, hooking her hand in the handle of the door Jess was holding open for her, “it sounds like cutie needs you right about now~”

            With that, Carla pulled the door closed from his slack grip. She grinned at him and waved as the car pulled away, leaving him standing confused in the rain. A small prickle of unease set in, and he pivoted and ran the few steps up to the front door. Inside, the house was dark and quiet.

            “Kai?” he called out.

            There was no response. The unease started to fester. He dropped his backpack by the door and sped to Kai’s room. He knocked on the door before opening it, but Kai wasn’t inside. He wasn’t anywhere downstairs at all. That was unlike him…

            Jess took the stairs two at a time. Maybe the merman was in his father’s room, browsing through John’s book collection or watching the seahorses in the aquarium at the foot of the man’s bed. That wouldn’t be surprising. Jess threw open the bedroom door; the room was empty.

            “Kai?!” The silence that followed was dreadful.

            Jess cast about, his thoughts racing wildly. Maybe Kai was in the backyard? But that wasn’t likely, as anyone with sense would have come inside when the rain began. The garage then? No, why would he be in there? Maybe he was in the bathroom taking a shower and Jess hadn’t noticed the sound of running water over his growing worry. That had to be it!

            Thunder rolled in the distance as Jess closed the door to his father’s bedroom. He was at the top of the stairs when he heard it: a sob. It was muffled but close, closer than if it had come from downstairs. He turned in the direction of the sound and for the first time noticed that the door to his own bedroom was ajar.

            “Kai?” he called, but there was no answer.

            Moving quietly, Jess pressed his bedroom door open all the way. The room was dark, and at first it seemed as if everything was as he had left it this morning. On closer inspection though, he noticed the covers on his bed were rumbled in a heap not at all like the messy, half-made state he usually left them in.

            “Kai?” he asked softly, but another roll of thunder drowned out his voice. The heap of covers sobbed again, shivering.

            Within a few steps, Jess was at the bed. He knelt at the bedside and gently peeled back a loose corner of comforter to reveal a tangle of arms and legs and Kai’s head buried in the knot of it. The merman didn’t move or acknowledge Jess’s presence at all, only continuing to tremble.

            “Kai?”

            The merman twitched before slowly uncurling inch by inch until his face was visible. The sight of him was worse than a sucker punch. His eyes were blown wide with terror, his face pale and bloodless. Streaks of tears stained his cheeks. Jess could have sworn something inside of him broke upon seeing Kai in such a state.

            “Oh Kai…” he murmured pityingly, starting to peel back more of the covers. “What happened?”

            “Don’t!” Kai cried, his voice sharp and as cutting as a shard of broken glass.

            Jess froze, unsure of what it was that Kai didn’t want him to do. The merman was staring at him, fear plain on his face.

            “You’re safe now,” he tried coaxingly. He didn’t dare move. “I’m here to keep you safe. Just… Just let me help you.”

            Kai stared at him for a long moment before curling more tightly in on himself.

            “The blanket stays.” The words were muffled but still understandable.

            “Ok, that’s fine,” Jess breathed. He hesitated for a moment before offering, “Do you want some company under there?”

            Another long moment passed before Kai made a small movement that resembled a nod. Moving with great care, Jess slid himself beneath the covers beside Kai, head and all. The space was cramped and hot, not the least bit comfortable for him. Some small, irrational voice in his head told him that there wasn’t enough oxygen enclosed with them in the space beneath the covers and that he was going to suffocate if he stayed like that for much longer, but he pushed it away with a will. Kai needed him right now, and that mattered more than his petty fears.

            Just as he was beginning to settle, another rumble of thunder sounded. Kai’s hands darted out to fist in Jess’s shirt, and in the space of a second, the merman had curled towards him, his face buried in Jess’s chest. Another sob escaped Kai, and he trembled violently. Jess, startled, didn’t react at first. Then slowly, carefully, he laid a hand on Kai’s shoulder before all at once pulling Kai into him. His arms went around the merman, and their legs tangled. Kai clung to him like a lifeline. It was a while before he calmed enough to speak.

            “I don’t like storms,” he whispered. His voice came out strained and raspy from crying, and Jess wondered how long he had been like this, curled up alone in the dark beneath the covers. Had it been at the first sound of distant thunder? Or had it started earlier than this, watching the gray clouds rolling in slowly to blanket the sky as the day progressed?

            “I see…” It was all he could say.

            “It’s dangerous to be at sea during a storm,” Kai continued quietly. “Even a mild storm can be deadly.”

_Oh._ A chilling dread ran up Jess’s spine, and he found himself asking, “Have you–”

            “Twice,” Kai responded before Jess could even finish his question. “Once in the Falen Delta. A storm came on quickly, and the waves got rough. They threw me against the cliffs several times, and I nearly lost consciousness. I had to cling to a rock for safety. It felt like hours that I clung there, and the waves kept hitting… I’m not sure how I survived.”

            “That sounds awful,” Jess murmured. He clutched Kai to him a little tighter.

            “The other time was at open sea,” Kai continued. “I was following one of my family’s ships. It was a stupid thing to do, but I just wanted to feel close to them again, even if they themselves weren’t on the ship. The storm came, and I didn’t want to abandon the ship. I didn’t think it would be as bad. We were in open sea; there were no rocks to crash on. But it didn’t matter. The waves got so big that they capsized the ship. The mast struck me on its way down, and I lost consciousness. By the time I came to, the storm had passed and all the sailors were dead.”

            Kai shuddered in his arms, pressing his face into Jess’s chest so that he almost didn’t catch the merman’s next words: “I could see bodies floating all around. The scavengers were already gathering to feed on them… And there was a mermaid among them.”

            A prickle of horror almost made Jess shudder in kind. He could only imagine what Kai must have seen that day.

            “You’re safe now,” he assured the merman firmly. “The storm can’t get you here.”

            “Yes it can!” Kai insisted, struggling out of Jess’s arms to prop himself up on his elbows so that he could stare Jess down with serious, fierce eyes. “Lightning could strike! A tree could be blown down on top of us! A giant wave could flood the town! Storms are _dangerous!_ ”

            As if to emphasize his point, the thunder sounded again, much louder this time. Kai cried out and dove into Jess’s open arms, and Jess held him tight, waiting for the trembling to subside. He couldn’t think of any argument to counter Kai’s words. The merman’s points were valid – if a bit exaggerated – but he didn’t think that quoting some statistic of the likelihood of those events actually happening would soothe Kai. Even so, he wanted to give the merman _some_ kind of comfort to latch onto, if only to make his fears more bearable.

            “You’re right,” he finally said into the silence that had gathered. “All those things could happen. But so long as I’m here, nothing’s going to hurt you.”

            Kai whimpered inaudibly into his chest. Jess pursed his lips before peeling himself away from Kai just enough to slide his fingers under the merman’s chin and bring his face up to meet his. With Kai’s amethyst eyes staring into his own, Jess spoke slowly and carefully, as if by putting this into words he could make it come true. If he could make Kai could believe this, then maybe the merman could find some peace from his fears.

            “I promised that no one would ever harm you while I’m around, didn’t I? Same goes for the storm. I’ll protect you. I promise.”

            Kai stared at him for a moment, and Jess worried that he was going to protest again, but he simply nodded. Jess released his chin and held the merman close again. An hour passed, and they stayed like that, wrapped in each other, riding out the storm. At its peak, when the thunder boomed so loud overhead that Jess could have sworn it would split the sky open, Kai cried inconsolably into the front of Jess’s shirt. It hurt knowing that no matter what promises he made, Jess would never be able to fully take away all of the merman’s fear. So, he gave Kai the last comfort remaining to him: he sang.

            The words were rusty as they came out, pitched somewhere in Jess’s chest that hadn’t been used in years. They came slow and tentative, betraying Jess’s uncertainty. He hadn’t done this before, used his singing to soothe and calm, and he didn’t know if it would work now. All he had to guide him were his memories of his mother singing this same song to him as a child at times when he too seemed inconsolable with tears. Now, he sang it to Kai.

            Gradually, Kai’s cries quieted down to soft sniffles punctuated by a whimper here and there as the thunder carried on. Jess sang until the thunder receded into faint sounds in the distance. By the end of it the words had blurred together until all that was left was the tune, soft and soothing. Kai sighed contentedly and nuzzled into his chest as if he were wiping the tears away into Jess’s shirt. A strange, sappy tenderness filled Jess, and looking down at the merman in his arms, he was suddenly struck with the urge to plant a kiss on the merman’s forehead.

            The tune caught in his throat, and silence rushed in to fill the space. In the moment of confusion that followed, Kai stirred in his arms until he could meet Jess’s eyes, silently questioning why he’d stopped. The air felt heavy with expectation, and the urge was still there, only now it wasn’t focused on the merman’s forehead. Kai was so close, close enough to hear Jess’s heart pounding in his chest. Their faces were separated by mere inches. All he had to do was lean in…

            “Why don’t I go get dinner started?” he suggested instead, forcing a smile onto his face.

            “Ok,” Kai whispered, frowning slightly as if he were confused.                   

            Smiling wider, Jess untangled himself from the merman. A part of him ached with disappointment as he disentangled himself from Kai’s grip, but he forced himself to let go and slide out from under the covers. He bolted from the room, not waiting to see if Kai would follow.

            In the kitchen, Jess took a moment to calm his racing heart and silently berate himself. _What was that?! I almost kissed him! Why would I do that?!_ Kissing, he believed, was reserved for special people, the people you cared about the most. One could kiss their relatives, their parents, grandparents, and children, and one could kiss a partner or a spouse, the person they were romantically involved with, but one simply didn’t just go around kissing their friends. That’s what he believed.

            But then… Kai had kissed him before. Twice, in fact. And they weren’t even dating, let alone romantically involved with each other. They were just friends… But they were also sort of brothers in the sense that Kai had been unofficially adopted into the Azure family. And yet, Jess didn’t see Kai as a brother. So then, they were friends. Just friends. Only friends.

_But why would I want to kiss him if he’s just a friend?!_

            Near to bursting with frustration, Jess threw himself into the task of making dinner as a distraction. He pulled out a pot and began following the instructions laid out on the packet of premade stew mix. Just as he was adding its contents to the pot, his phone buzzed.

_“Sooo, how’s cutie?”_

            Jess read the text message and sighed. Trust Carla to know the exact moment he needed her pestering the least.

_“He’s fine, just a little frightened by the storm. Things are settling down now.”_

_“Awww, poor dear! Do I need to come over and cuddle him to make him better?”_

            Jess’s hand clenched around the phone as a hot flash of anger hit him. Quickly he snapped back a response.

_“No, I said he’s fine!”_

_“Geez, Jess, no need to get jealous. I was only trying to be friendly.”_

            He sucked in a startled breath. Is _that_ what this feeling coiling low in his belly was? What reason did he have to feel jealous? His next reply was more careful.

_“I’m not jealous. Why would I be jealous?”_

_“Keep telling yourself that! Honestly, I don’t blame you. I’d be jealous too if I had myself a cutie like that~”_

            Jess’s breath stuttered in his throat. _What?_

_“What?”_

_“Did you think you were being subtle? ‘Cuz you know subtlety isn’t really one of your specialties. I mean, come on. I can see the looks you two give each other, and you guys have got it bad! I’m just surprised I haven’t walked in on you two making out in the kitchen by now~”_

            He had to brace himself on the countertop as he wheezed for breath, feeling like his legs might give out on him at any minute from surprise. What on earth gave Carla that idea?

_“Carla… Whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong. Kai and I are not like that.”_

_“Really??? Because I could have sworn… You always look like you’re just waiting for Aussie and me to leave so you can jump him! I mean it’s obvious you two like each other~ And I mean, ‘like’ like!”_

_“What are you, in sixth grade? Kai and I are just friends. That’s all.”_

_“For now, maybe, but have you tried talking about your feelings together? I know you’re not big on sharing your feelings, but you could be missing out on something amazing by keeping them all to yourself.”_

            Jess wanted to bang his fist down on the countertop in frustration. Where was Carla even coming up with all this? He and Kai were _friends_ , end of story.

_“What feelings, Carla? There are no feelings! Kai and I are JUST friends! That’s all there is to it!”_

_“Keep telling yourself that~ One of these days though you’re going to realize I’m right about this. ;)”_

            She sent this last message with a little winky face attached at the end. Jess scowled at the phone for a moment longer before pushing it across the counter. He didn’t want to talk about it any longer, let alone consider whether there was any truth to her words.

            A stool scooted out from under the bar, making Jess jump at the sudden noise. He turned to see Kai climbing awkwardly onto the stool, still bundled up in the comforter from Jess’s bed. He looked like he was being engulfed by some giant, fluffy marshmallow monster. The sight made Jess smile.

            “Dinner’s almost ready,” he said.

            “It smells good,” Kai murmured, peering out from beneath the blanket’s shadow.

            “Feeling any better?” Jess asked.

            “A little,” Kai sighed. “Storms are terrible.”

            Jess hummed under his breath. He stirred the stew before ladling out a bowlful for Kai, presenting it wordlessly to the merman. Kai took a spoonful and ate it. He let out a softer, more contented sigh as the food warmed him from the inside out and made him relax. Good food tended to have that effect on people.

            “It’s good,” he murmured, smiling warmly at Jess.

            “I’m glad you like it,” Jess said, smiling back. He prepared a bowl for himself.

            “Did Carla and Aussie stop by?” Kai asked.

            “Not really,” Jess said. “They had other things to do.”

            “Oh.” Jess didn’t miss the note of disappointment in Kai’s voice. “I see.”

            “Did you want them to come over?” he asked, trying for a neutral tone.

            “Not today, I suppose,” Kai sighed, “but I like when they come over. They’re fun to be around.”

            “Glad you’re warming up to them,” Jess said. He tried to ignore the fresh spark of jealousy that nagged at him. He’d told Kai that he could count on Carla and Aussie to give him the same kind of support as a family would, and Kai needed that. So what if Carla and Aussie were taking up more and more of Kai’s attention? If it made him happy and helped him overcome his fear of other people, then Jess was going to have to find a way to live with that.

            The silence that had fallen between them was beginning to grow uncomfortable, so Jess broke it by saying, “What do you say we take dinner over to the couch and we watch a movie on the TV while we eat?”

            Kai gave a hesitant nod. He was still getting used to the informality of the Azures’ eating habits; for most meals he preferred sitting together at the bar to eat, which was about as close to his family’s formal eating arrangements as he was likely to come. The TV though presented a temptation that Jess knew the merman would find hard to resist.

            Smiling to himself, Jess helped move their dinner to the living room. He leafed through the collection of DVDs stashed in the cabinets of the TV stand before selecting an old animated film, one that he’d loved as a child. After popping the disk into the DVD player, he turned on the TV and switched it to the correct setting.

            The movie began to play as they settled on the couch, warm bowls of food in their laps. Jess finished his bowl less than a quarter of the way through the movie, but Kai was eating at a slower pace. His attention was devoted almost entirely to the screen, and he barely remembered to raise his spoon to his mouth once every few minutes.

            With Kai preoccupied, Jess took his empty bowl to the sink and rinsed it out before going to his backpack to retrieve his homework. Even on a Friday night there was still work to be done. He considered whether to turn on the lights in the living room before deciding that the light coming from the kitchen would be enough to work by.

            He realized what a mistake that was thirty minutes later as he struggled against the urge to nod off. Each sentence from his textbook he had to read two or three times to be sure he understood it before moving on to the next one, and by the end of the paragraph, he had forgotten it all once again. He was just considering getting up to turn the lights on after all when Kai slumped against him, clearly having fallen asleep.

_He must be exhausted after everything he’s been through._ Jess thought. Carefully so as not to disturb the sleeping merman, Jess slid the textbook out of his lap and adjusted himself so that Kai could use the vacated space as a pillow instead of perching precariously on his shoulder. The merman didn’t even stir at the change in position, only murmuring inaudibly in his sleep.

            With the movie and homework forgotten, Jess found all his attention on the merman in his lap. He was still wrapped up in that big, poufy comforter from Jess’s bed. Tentatively, Jess pushed the makeshift hood it created back from Kai’s face, worried that the merman might accidentally smother himself in his sleep. He looked so peaceful when he slept, undisturbed by fear, and Jess wished that Kai could be like that when he was awake too. He didn’t deserve to spend so much of his life consumed by one fear after another. He deserved to be happy.

_Why do I care so much? I’ve never cared this much about anyone before._

            He absentmindedly brushed a few stray strands of hair that had fallen across the merman’s face out of the way, still lost in thought.

_Is Carla right? Could I have feelings for him?_

            With the weight of Kai in his lap and his mind still numb from homework, Jess soon found himself joining the merman in sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter update is scheduled for 11/28/17! See you then!


	13. Chapter 13

            Soft morning sunshine trickled in through the blinds, disturbing Jess’s sleep. He tried to turn over to escape the light, but in doing so, he discovered an aching stiffness in his neck. Groaning, he blinked awake and looked about in confusion. He was in the living room, the comforter from his bed draped over him. Judging by the ache in his neck, he must have slept on the couch all night.

            The flutter of papers made him roll over stiffly to see his father sitting in the loveseat, the day’s newspaper in his hands. The man’s eyes skimmed over the page before he looked up at Jess.

            “Good morning,” John greeted him amicably.

            “Morning, Dad,” Jess mumbled, still groggy from sleep. He stretched and groaned as other parts of his body ached in complaint.

            “Had a nice sleep?” John chuckled, amusement rich in his tone.

            “I hurt all over,” Jess admitted sheepishly.

            “That’s why people sleep in beds,” his father chided gently with another chuckle.

            “What time is it?” Jess asked.

            “Half past seven,” John replied.

            “In the morning?” Jess groaned. It was early for him to be up. Normally on the weekend he would sleep in for another hour at least, if not two or three.

            “You fell asleep pretty early last night,” his father said. “You were asleep by the time I got home. Kai wasn’t sure what to do with you, so I suggested we leave you to wake up and wander into bed on your own. I didn’t expect you to sleep the entire night on the couch, but it wouldn’t be the first time.”

            Jess hummed softly. They sat in companionable silence for a time. Before long, they heard the creak of a door opening, and Kai soon joined them. The merman rubbed sleep from his eyes as he sat down on the couch beside Jess.

            “Good morning,” Kai murmured, his voice soft and faintly raspy from sleep.

            “Hey,” Jess greeted, smiling a little in the merman’s presence. “Did we wake you?”

            “No,” Kai replied. “I usually wake up around this time.”

            “Well, since we’re all awake now, why don’t I go ahead and start making breakfast?” John suggested as he folded his newspaper and rose to his feet.

            “I’ll help,” Kai volunteered. This was quickly becoming part of their morning routine, so much so that the two of them in the kitchen were becoming like a well-oiled machine.

            “Should I help too, or can I take a shower?” Jess asked for the sake of being polite.

            “You go take your shower.” John waved him off. “Kai and I should have things covered in the kitchen.”

            With that, Jess took his comforter and headed upstairs. He deposited the comforter back on his bed before entering the bathroom. The shower did wonders for his aching body. Soon he was refreshed and dressed, ready for the day.

            As he descended the stairs, there came a knock at the front door.

            “Jess, would you be so kind as to get that?” John called out from the kitchen. “Kai and I have our hands full at the moment.”

            “Sure thing,” Jess said, veering towards the door.

            Upon opening it, he was greeted with the sight of Carla standing on the front porch, holding what appeared to be two shopping bags in each hand. She grinned as he opened the door for her and unceremoniously handed them off to him.

            “Here, take these,” she said as she did so. “My car’s in the shop, so I had to walk with them all the way from my house, and I won’t carry them a minute longer!”

            Jess rolled his eyes at this, knowing the walk couldn’t have taken her more than ten minutes even as loaded down as she was. He hefted the bags; they were surprisingly heavy.

            “Geez, Carla, what is all this stuff?” he huffed, exasperated. Why on earth was she lugging all this over to his house?

            “The dresses I said I was bringing for Kai, plus a few other things I thought he might like,” Carla said, pursing her lips with annoyance. “Really, don’t you remember anything we talked about yesterday?”

            “When you said you were bringing over some clothes,” Jess groused, hefting the bags again for emphasis, “I didn’t think you meant your whole wardrobe! I didn’t even know you owned this many dresses!”

            “There’s only a few dresses in each one, plus some shoes and things. Oh, and this.” She fished around in one of the bags until she produced a book and handed it to him. “For you, since Aussie won’t be needing it anymore.”

            Jess turned the book over in his hand. The cover read in glossy black letters: ‘Rising With the Tide – A History on Falen’s Most Successful Shipping Company.’ It was the book he’d asked about on the New Falen Shipping Company – Kai’s family’s company. He stared at it, caught off-guard and at a loss for words. For a moment, he almost felt grateful to her.

            Carla tossed her hair back impatiently. “Am I allowed to come in?”

            “Fine,” Jess sighed, standing aside for her. And just like that, the moment was ruined…

            “Good.” Her grin returned as quickly as it had left. “It’d be a shame to have carried them all this way and not get to see Kai try them on!”

            She strode past him with the same presumptuous air as if she were entering her own house, leaving him to shut the door behind her. Not wanting Kai to see the book, he hid it among the couch cushions to retrieve later while Carla marched her way into the kitchen.

            “Hi everyone!” she called out as she approached.

            “Carla! Good to see you!” John greeted her warmly. “Will you be joining us for breakfast?”

            “Sorry, I already ate, but I’d love a cup of coffee if you have some,” Carla said, sliding easily into one of the bar stools.

            “I just put on a fresh pot to brew,” John said, looking around with raised eyebrows. “Where’s your brother? Is Aussie not with you today?”

            “He’s at an interview,” Carla informed him.

            “Little Aussie’s already out there getting himself a job? My, how time flies!” John marveled. “I still remember when the three of you were in elementary school. You kids grew up too fast.”

            “Sorry to interrupt, but is it alright if I put these in your room, Kai?” Jess asked as he lugged the shopping bags into the kitchen.

            “What are they?” Kai asked. He set aside the bowl of pancake batter he’d been mixing to come investigate.

            “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you!” Carla exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “I brought over some of the dresses I don’t wear anymore. I figured that we’re about the same size, so they should fit you.”

            “You brought dresses for me?” Kai asked, wide-eyed with surprise.

            “Yeah! Come on, I’ll show you!” She jumped up from her stool and headed in the direction of the hallway, saying over her shoulder, “Your room’s the one downstairs, right?”

            Kai murmured an affirmative as they fell into step behind her. Inside the merman’s room, Jess laid the bags down on the bed. He wondered if he should leave now and let Kai sort through their contents on his own, but seeing as Carla wasn’t making herself scarce, he decided that he might as well hang around too.

            Kai, meanwhile, had begun pulling out the dresses one by one to look at them. Most of them were light, breezy things meant for wearing in the warmer months of spring and summer. A couple of them though were heavier, made of thick cabled knits or wool that would keep him warm in the winter months to come, which Jess was thankful for. Winter in Fogwood might be milder than in places further inland where it snowed more often, but the moist air that came from the bay made for a miserably chilling season.

            The last dress though was so drastically different from the others that at first Jess didn’t recognize it as a dress. It looked more like the beaded fringe of an antique lamp shade had been layered and sewn onto a thin sheath of fabric, creating some gaudy fashion disaster that didn’t even belong in this century. It was entirely impractical and would draw attention to the wearer like a bright neon sign in the midst of a crowd – quite the opposite of what Kai needed.

            “What’s this?” the merman asked, holding the dress out at arm’s length with a quizzical look.

            “Oh, that? That’s the dress I wore for my history club’s dance a couple years ago,” Carla explained, fingering one of the beaded strands of fringe. “Each year the history club at our school puts on a period-themed dance party. You get to dress up in clothes from that period and show off some of the popular dance moves from back then. The theme that year was the Roarin’ Twenties, which was _so_ much more fun than the Sixties theme we had last year. But that’s nothing compared to this year’s theme!”

            She paused and eyed them both expectantly with a self-satisfied smirk, and Jess sighed internally, recognizing this as her way of prompting them to inquire further.

            “What’s the theme?” he asked, exasperated to be playing along with her shenanigans.

            “It’s gonna be a Nineteenth Century ball!” she exclaimed, her eyes bright with excitement. “Oh, can you imagine it? All those gorgeous ball gowns and the most regal waltzes! It’s gonna be so great!” She was practically vibrating with excitement as she spoke, dancing from foot to foot with her fists clenched close to her chest.

            “Nineteenth Century?” Kai echoed, as if this had struck a chord with him.

            “You know, the 1800’s,” Carla explained lightly, waving a hand. She sighed a bit wistfully. “They wore such elegant clothes back then. I may not be a fashionista, but I’d kill to bring back some of the style from back then.”

            “The ball gowns were especially lovely,” Kai agreed, smiling brightly as he spoke, and Jess remembered that Kai had lived during that time. He was speaking from memory. “The way they layered all those ruffles and gathers on the skirts made them look so full and grand, and the beading and lacework on the bodices was exquisite! I remember admiring my mother’s gown as a child and–”

            He stopped abruptly, eyes wide and fearful that he had let slip some important detail that would give away his secret. Carla, thankfully, hadn’t seemed to notice, still caught up in the revelry about the dresses.

            “All that satin and taffeta! I can’t wait to pick out my dress for the party!” She was practically gasping with excitement, and then as if realizing she was getting herself too worked up, she paused and cleared her throat to compose herself. She grinned at Kai afterwards.

            “You know, the school brought in an entire selection of Nineteenth Century ball gowns and suits for the party. There’s more outfits than there are members in our club in case more students decide to attend. You could come with me when I go later to pick out mine, and we could try on all the dresses together for fun.”

            Kai’s eyes lit up with anticipation at this suggestion, then faltered as he realized what that would entail.

            “Will there be lots of people there?” he asked hesitantly, a bit of apprehension creeping into his voice.

            “Only a handful,” Carla assured him easily. “I was planning to go today so that I could get first pick of the dresses before everyone else rushes in to get theirs. Hardly anyone wants to be at school on a Saturday.” She said this last part with a wink.

            Kai smiled at this. He looked tempted by her offer – very tempted, even, despite the possibility of being around strangers. It was obvious that he wanted to go. Jess cleared his throat before speaking up.

            “I could come too, if you like,” he offered, thinking that his presence would help make the merman more comfortable in that situation.

            “ _You_ are going to go try on dresses with us? I thought you _barely_ like to try on regular clothes for yourself,” Carla scoffed playfully, making Jess blush as he realized what his words were implying.

            “N-not like that!” he protested, flustered. “I just thought–”

            His words broke off as Carla laughed, leaving him even more flustered and floundering for some kind of retort.

            “Oh _relax_ , Mama Hen,” she teased, slinging one arm across Kai’s shoulders. “You don’t have to keep Kai under your wing all the time. I’ll take good care of him for you.”

            Jess was about to protest again and invent some sort of reason why he needed to be there with them when Kai spoke up.

            “I think it sounds like fun,” the merman said, smiling demurely at Jess. “You don’t have to come for my sake. I’ll be fine.”

            All his protests suddenly deflated in the face of Kai’s words, leaving Jess with a confusing feeling of disheartenment.

            “If you’re sure,” he conceded reluctantly. He ran a hand through his hair, feeling awkward and out-of-place now. He made up an excuse to leave. “I’m gonna go see if Dad needs help making breakfast.”

            With that, he made his escape. In the kitchen, his father had breakfast well under control, alternating between flipping pancakes in one pan and turning sausages in another. Jess pulled up a seat at the bar and sighed, leaning with both elbows on the countertop and his face cupped between his hands.

            “What’s the matter, Jess?” his father asked, pausing briefly in his various cooking activities to give his son a quizzical look.

            “Nothing,” Jess grunted despondently.

            “‘Nothing’ isn’t worth moping over,” John chided gently.

            “Fine,” Jess grumbled, sitting up straighter. “It’s Carla. She’s making plans to take Kai out to try on dresses later.”

            “And what’s the problem with that?” John asked as he stacked the pancakes he’d been tending onto a growing platter before pouring more batter into the pan.

            “Nothing! I just– I don’t know,” Jess ground out, frustrated. Why should he care so much if Carla was taking Kai to go try on dresses without him? He wasn’t even interested in the dresses.

            “Kai deserves the chance to get out of the house and spend time with his other friends,” John said, and his words sounded to Jess like a mild reproach. “It’s not healthy to stay confined to the house all the time.”

            Jess wanted to argue that he would be glad to accompany Kai anytime the merman ever wanted to leave the house, but the words sounded selfish and jealous, even to him, so he bit his tongue and stewed in his own frustration. His father didn’t seem to notice, busy as he was with making breakfast. Their conversation lapsed into the sizzle of cooking things.

            A minute later, Jess felt a tap on his shoulder from behind. He turned, expecting to see Kai standing there to show off one of his new dresses, and was disappointed to see Carla instead.

            “Can I borrow you for a second?” she asked, sounding uncharacteristically serious for a change. “Upstairs?”

            Jess cast a sidelong glance at his father’s back, wishing he had an excuse to say no, but it was clear that his father didn’t need any help with cooking.

            “Sure,” he agreed warily before getting up.

            Carla was silent as they climbed the stairs. She led the way into Jess’s bedroom and closed the door behind them, then paused to listen as if she were assuring herself they weren’t being spied upon by eavesdroppers. Jess bristled at this overly cautious behavior, suddenly uncomfortably aware that they were alone together. He didn’t have the best record of making good choices when he was left alone with her; the last time in particular had led to a series of events that culminated in him waking up naked and full of shame in her bed.

            “What is it, Carla?” he huffed impatiently, crossing his arms across his chest as if to protect himself from her.

            “You know, you would get a lot farther with Kai if you actually tried talking to him instead of all this jealous posturing you’ve been doing,” she said, looking up at him.

            “I’m not posturing!” Jess protested, immediately coming to his own defense.

            “Sure you’re not,” Carla retorted, rolling her eyes. “Have you thought at all about what I said last night?”

            Jess didn’t answer. He didn’t want to tell her that he had, actually, and quite a lot – even before she’d brought it up.

            “You know, it’s painfully obvious that you’ve never done this before,” Carla remarked, giving him a critical look.

            “Done what?” he said, bristling.

            “Had a crush.” She shook her head pityingly. “You’ve never really liked anyone like that, and you’ve never dated, so you’re just stuck in the dark and have no idea what to do here. You want Kai’s attention, and you get jealous when he gives it to anyone else, but you don’t know how to talk to him. I could help you.”

            “Right, because you’re such an expert on love,” he retorted scathingly.

            Carla tensed, hot anger flashing briefly across her face. It passed though after a moment.

            “You’re just saying that because you know I’m right and you’re embarrassed about it,” she said with measured calm, and she sounded like she was trying to convince herself of that as much as Jess. “If you keep up this stubborn denial streak of yours, you’re going to lose your chance with him – or worse, push him away.”

            Those words hit Jess like a slap to the face, making him falter. Carla saw his defenses crumbling and pressed on.

            “Kai’s not going to wait forever. He needs to know that you feel the same way. If you don’t tell him, he’s going to assume you’re not interested and move on.”

            While Jess floundered for any kind of response, Carla, apparently having said all that she needed to, turned and opened the door. She walked out, leaving him standing there, stunned. Her words held too much truth in them; he didn’t like it. Right now, he didn’t want to consider whether he even had feelings for Kai, let alone talk about them – with Kai or anyone else. Inhaling deeply, he steeled himself and headed back down the stairs.

            In the living room, Kai was showing off one of the dresses to Carla. It was one of the heavier ones, a high-necked, maroon-colored cable knit dress that looked more like an overly long sweater to Jess. It was form-fitting and looked good on the merman. It would do wonders to keep Kai warm in winter… were it not so short. The dress only came down to the midway point on Kai’s thighs.

            “It’s cute, but we’re going to need to get you a pair of leggings to wear under it,” Carla was saying. She cast a glance in Jess’s direction, grinning wolfishly before adding, “Otherwise your underwear will be showing whenever you sit down.”

            Both Jess and Kai turned red at this. They were saved from having to respond though by the front door suddenly bursting open. Everyone turned to look as Aussie stood leaning in the doorway, panting for breath. His hair was a sweaty, disheveled mess, his green dress shirt unbuttoned at the color, and he held his green-and-black striped tie clutched in one hand. The kid looked as if he’d just run five miles in formalwear.

            As soon as he caught his breath, Aussie’s face split into a broad grin, and he announced, “I got the job!”

            Carla was the first to react, leaping to her feet and rushing to give her brother a hug. He returned it with the arm he wasn’t using to hold himself up against the doorframe and endured the hair ruffling she gave him with a good-natured wince.

            “Knew you had it in ya, kiddo!” she congratulated him, grinning herself.

            Aussie smiled with obvious pleasure, and the two of them made their way over to plop down on the loveseat with arms slung across each other’s shoulders. Jess, having taken a moment to process what was happening, forced a quick smile onto his face as they passed him and offered a few words of congratulations. Likewise, his father called out his own approval from the kitchen. Even Kai murmured a few words, though his were more reserved.

            “So, tell us about the job,” John prompted as he brought over a pair of serving platters heaped generously with sausages and pancakes and set them down on the coffee table in front of the smiling pair of siblings.

            Grinning, Aussie launched into a description of his new job while Jess and Kai busied themselves with bringing out the plates and silverware and getting everyone a cup of their preferred beverage. By the time everyone had their plates and drinks, Aussie had shifted into a retelling of his interview experience.

            “The guy who was interviewing me was really nice,” he was saying. “He had this smile like he wanted to really get to know me, and it made me feel a lot better, because I was really nervous at first.” He smiled sheepishly as he admitted this.

            “Even with all that interview prep we did last night?” Carla asked, leaning in to steal a sausage off of her brother’s plate despite having claimed not to be hungry earlier.

            “Well he’s the owner’s personal assistant!” Aussie squeaked, wide-eyed. “He’s practically the second-in-command of the whole company! And he’s going to be my boss! Who wouldn’t be nervous around a guy like that? But he turned out to be really nice.”

            Carla laughed and ruffled her brother’s hair again. All throughout the conversation, Jess had noticed that Kai had been listening with intent interest, particularly when Aussie had mentioned what company he would be working for. The merman looked as if he wanted to say something or ask a question, but he kept it to himself. Soon the conversation turned to other topics as they ate.

            “Ah, that hit the spot!” Aussie sighed with satisfaction after mopping up the last few drops of syrup with his last bite of pancakes. “I was too nervous to eat before my interview, but now I feel much better!”

            Carla nudged him with her elbow before politely but pointedly saying, “Thanks for the breakfast, Mr. Azure!” Aussie sheepishly murmured in agreement.

            “You are most welcome!” John laughed. “You two are welcome to join us anytime!”

            Everyone got up to help with cleaning up the messy dishes. With five people pitching in, it wasn’t long before all the pans were scrubbed, the dishwasher loaded, and the coffee table wiped down. Carla stood leaning back against the kitchen counter as she downed the last bit of coffee in her mug before she rinsed it out and added it to the dishwasher as well.

            “Alright, time to get going,” she announced to the room. “Kai, I’ll be back in a couple hours to pick you up?” She raised her eyebrows, making it an invitation more than a statement.

            “Yes, definitely!” The merman smiled with nervous anticipation, and Jess pursed his lips to suppress a sour frown. He should be glad that Kai felt comfortable enough to try going out in public with someone other than himself, not sulking enviously because that meant that _Carla_ would be getting all of Kai’s attention while _he_ had to stay behind.

            “Good,” she said, striding towards the front door. “See you later, then!”

            “Wait a minute!” Aussie protested.        

            Carla paused, raising an eyebrow at him. The boy fumbled with his pants pockets before producing his phone.

            “I wanna take a group selfie first, to celebrate!” he declared.

            Carla broke into a grin while at the same time Jess rolled his eyes. He didn’t really get the appeal of ‘selfies;’ that might be largely due to his old flip phone having a less than ideal camera for the task, unlike the cameras on Carla and Aussie’s smartphones. Still, he indulged them whenever the pair inevitably demanded he join them for one.

            The three of them made their way over to the loveseat, where Carla and Aussie sat down while Jess leaned in from the side. Aussie held his phone out at arm’s length, and with a few taps, his screen became a camera, reflecting back an image of their faces.

            “Would you like me to take the picture for you?” John offered from where he stood washing the last few dishes in the kitchen.

            “No thanks,” Aussie said. “It’s more fun like this!”                        

            They shuffled a bit, finding a comfortable angle. Aussie’s thumb hovered over the capture button, but Carla waved at him to stall him.

            “Kai needs to get in here too!” she declared.

            Aussie grinned at this suggestion. “Yeah! We should have a selfie with all of us in it!”

            “What is it?” Kai asked, drying his hands after helping rinse off the last few dishes.

            “A… selfie?” Aussie said with some confusion, as if that was explanation enough.

            “I don’t know what that is,” the merman admitted with a slight frown, coming around to stand behind the loveseat and peer quizzically over their heads at the phone screen.

            “You’ve never taken a selfie before?” Aussie said, shocked.

            “It’s basically a photo you take of yourself using a cell phone,” Jess explained quickly to Kai, and then to Aussie he added, “Not everyone has the luxury of owning a smartphone, you know.”

            “Yeah, Aus, weren’t you listening when Kai was telling us about himself the other day?” Carla admonished.

            Aussie flushed and ducked his head, chagrined. “Sorry.”

            “It’s ok,” Kai reassured him with a gentle smile. “This will just have to be my first.”

            Aussie brightened at this suggestion and held the camera aloft again.

            “Let’s make it a good one!” he said. “Ready?”

            They all crowded in to get into the frame. Jess had to force on a smile that looked fake even to him, and Kai was staring at the screen with a slight, unconscious frown of perplexity. Carla flashed them all a mischievous grin from the screen.

            “On the count of three,” she coached. “One… Two… Three! Jess’s socks smell!”

            The camera went off, and when the screen cleared, the image it displayed was of Carla grinning, Aussie laughing, Jess wrinkling his nose in indignation, and Kai smiling warmly with amusement. All in all, this would be their best selfie yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up on January 5th! In the meantime, the gang and I would like to wish you Happy Holidays, and may all your winter wishes come true! See you soon!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sexual content warning. This chapter contains sexual content between two male characters. If you wish to avoid such content, then please skip to the section after the first scene break. Scene breaks are marked by the ***'s.

            Steam clouded the air, so thick and heavy that Jess couldn’t see anything through it. He didn’t need to though, not when he could _feel_. There was skin under his hands, warm and slick from the humidity. He ran a hand downwards and felt the slight curve of a hip. A soft, breathy moan cut through the air.

            Gripping more firmly, Jess pulled the body closer, feeling hot skin flush against his own. Slender arms settled across his shoulders, and lips traced their way across his skin, seeking his mouth. He met them, feeling how soft and cool they were against his own. They tasted like the sea.

            Jess lost himself in the kiss. It felt like drowning in a rush of heat and spiraling adrenaline that didn’t come close to anything he’d ever felt before. He spiraled higher as a leg slid against his own and hitched itself upon his hip, pulling him in closer. He groaned and pushed forward until they were pressed up against a solid wall of tiles.

            They broke apart, panting for breath. Jess wasted no time in sliding down, his mouth moving reverently along a slender throat, the rise of a collarbone, down a smooth and flat chest. He lingered there, kissing and suckling a bright bruise into the pale skin. His tongue traced its way to a nipple, pinked from the heat. The body above him moaned and writhed in pleasure, fingers rooting in his hair as he lavished it with all his attention.

            “Jess~”

            He looked up and for the first time could make out the barest impressions of a face thrown back in pleasure, mouth slack around a gasp, and black hair falling like an ebony curtain behind delicate shoulders. The face bowed towards him suddenly, and a visceral shock went through Jess as he was struck by the sight of the most vivid amethyst eyes…

*           *           *

 

            Jess bolted upright with a shock. He gasped raggedly, his heart pounding hard in his chest. His eyes darted around feverishly, and he was more than a little surprised to find that he was in his bedroom. Alone.

            Sighing deeply, he flopped back down on the bed, sprawled and staring blankly at the ceiling. Images from his dream pushed their way into his head, and his body quickened in response. He dwelled on them pleasantly until those eyes burned their way into his skull. There was only one person in the world that had eyes like those.

            Groaning, he pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes and muttered, “No… Why this? Why him? Why _now?_ ”

            Unbidden, other images of Kai flooded his head:  Kai smiling at him as they talked of overcoming his fear of strangers. Kai sobbing into his shirt while a storm rolled overhead. Kai leaning in to kiss his cheek in thanks for a flower. Over and over again he saw Kai until his head was filled with nothing but the merman’s sweet face.

            The alarm clock rang out sharply, cutting through Jess’s thoughts and making him jump. He rolled over quickly and slammed his hand down on the button to silence it. Groaning again, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. It was the start of a brand new day, and it seemed that time would not wait for him to figure out his feelings now.

            Rolling out of bed, he set about getting ready for school a little more slowly than usual. As he descended the stairs, he found his father and Kai casually at work in the kitchen as was their custom. They worked fluidly together, talking about small things as they prepared breakfast. Jess bypassed them and went to the fridge, eyeing its contents speculatively before grabbing items to put together his lunch for school.

            “’Morning,” he mumbled absentmindedly as he began to assemble a sandwich for his lunch.

            “’Morning, Jess,” John replied with his usual morning cheer. He paused from cutting up a slice of melon and looked his son up and down appraisingly. “You seem a bit off today. Sleep alright?”

            “Yeah,” Jess sighed. “Bad dreams, I guess.”

            “What kind of bad dreams?” Kai asked, giving Jess a look of sweet concern.

            The image of Kai’s fine skin beneath his hands and his face given over to pleasure came to Jess along with a hot flush of embarrassment, and he quickly averted his eyes from Kai’s gaze and squeaked out, “Nothing!” a little more shrilly than he’d like. And then, realizing the strangeness of that answer, he added, “I couldn’t remember them after I woke up!”

            He could feel Kai’s confusion and concern for him almost palpably in the air between them, and worried that the merman was about to ply him with more questions, he forced himself to look up and smile reassuringly for Kai.

            “I’m fine,” he insisted.

            Thankfully, this seemed to appease Kai, and the three of them sat down together to enjoy a few moments of comfortable silence as they ate breakfast. Jess was grateful that the food gave him an excuse to avoid eye contact with Kai; otherwise, he wasn’t sure he could keep himself from remembering his dream and blushing as a result.

            Right on cue, there came a knock at the front door just as Jess was finishing his plate. He hurried to put it in the dishwasher and scoop up his lunch and backpack before running for the door, calling out a hasty goodbye over his shoulder as he went.

            Carla and Aussie were standing around on the front porch when he opened the door. Carla grinned and made to enter the house, but Jess closed the door quickly and pushed past her and down the steps.

            “Come on, we’re going to be late for school!” he urged over his shoulder as he started down the driveway.

            “No we’re not,” Carla protested, frowning in consternation.

            Jess stopped and turned to huff at her, “We will be if you stick around to chat with Kai like you always do.”

            “Aww, I wanted to get a snack!” Aussie pouted, throwing a longing glance at the door.

            Without missing a beat, Jess swung his backpack off one shoulder and rummaged inside until he produced an apple. He tossed it at Aussie, whose face lit up as he caught it. Carla arched an eyebrow at him.

            “What about my coffee?” she asked archly.

            “What do I look like, a catering service?” Jess quipped as he swung his backpack back on. “I know for a fact that you already had a cup before leaving your house.”

            Carla rolled her eyes and descended from the porch with Aussie in tow. This had become their morning routine: Carla would stand around sipping coffee and talking with Kai while Aussie helped himself to whatever food was left over from breakfast while Jess waited somewhat impatiently by the front door. He had even less patience for lingering around the house today though. Not after his dream.

            “You’re in a hurry,” Carla remarked as she fell into step with him.

            “Mrs. Gable threatened me with detention last week for being late,” Jess lied. Mrs. Gable, the stern older woman who taught Jess’s first class of the day, had merely given him a disapproving glare as he ran in a few seconds before the second bell rang, but she was a strict teacher with a reputation for giving out detentions for the smallest of reasons, and that gave his lie credence.

            Carla made a face, while Aussie stopped chewing his apple long enough to ask, “That’s the Geography teacher everyone says gives the hardest tests, right? I have to take her class next year.”

            “Don’t take her class, Aussie,” Carla interrupted before Jess had a chance to answer. “Take Mrs. Davis’s class. She’s a bit scatterbrained sometimes, but at least her class is easy. Only hardcore science nerds take Mrs. Gable’s class.”

            Jess rolled his eyes at this. It wasn’t the first time he’d been referred to as such. It was no secret that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a marine biologist someday; he volunteered so regularly at the marine center where his father worked that they had unofficially extended a job offer to him once he went to college and got his degree. Jess had always had an affinity for the ocean.

            The conversation carried on like that as they walked, with Jess putting in only minor comments here and there. His mind was elsewhere, thinking about Kai and trying hard _not_ to think about the dream. He was hardly aware of the speculative glances Carla kept throwing his way as they walked. They arrived at school just as the first bell rang out. 

*           *           *

 

             “You’ve been awfully quiet today,” Carla commented.

            Jess hummed an acknowledgement under his breath. School had let out for the day, and they were walking home together like always. After a beat though, Jess stopped abruptly and looked about, only just now realizing that they’d already walked two blocks’ distance from the school and at the same time that someone was missing from their small group.

            “Where’s Aussie?” he asked.

            In response, Carla burst out laughing as if he’d told a particularly funny joke. He frowned at her, perplexed.

            “Geez you’re distracted!” she laughed, brushing aside a stray tear of merriment from her eyes. “I told you already, Aussie had to go to orientation for his new job right after school. It’s down by the docks in the warehouse district.” She pointed with her thumb in the opposite direction of the way they were traveling.

            “Oh,” Jess said, chagrined. Had he really been distracted enough to miss all that?

            “So, what’s on your mind?” Carla asked, smiling beguilingly at him. “Gotta be something big if it’s been bothering you all day like this.”

            “It’s nothing,” he mumbled, looking away. No way did he want to talk about this with _Carla_ of all people!

            “Is it?” she prodded, her smile becoming a smirk.

            “Yep,” he evaded.

            “So it’s something to do with Kai,” she concluded.

            “No it’s not!” Jess protested. “What gave you that idea?”

            “You’re blushing,” she pointed out.

            Jess clamped his mouth shut and blushed harder when he realized that she was right. She grinned triumphantly at him.

            “So~” she crooned. “How are things with you and cutie?”

            “Fine. Everything’s fine as usual,” Jess said shortly. She might have been able to guess where his thoughts lay, but that still didn’t mean he wanted to talk about them with her.

            This time Carla stopped and gave him a frank look.

            “You haven’t talked to him yet.” It came out as a statement, not a question.

            “There’s nothing to talk about,” Jess insisted, stubbornly avoiding eye contact with her.

            “Oh please,” Carla retorted, rolling her eyes. “It’s obvious that you’re smitten with him. I bet you couldn’t get him out of your head all day.”

            Jess blushed again, knowing she was right. Was she ever going to let this go?

            “Fine,” he huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. “Let’s just say – _hypothetically_ – what if I do have feelings for him? What, exactly, am I supposed to do about it?”

            “You tell him, of course,” Carla replied easily.

            “So you want me to go marching home right now and as soon as I see him, say, ‘I think I have feelings for you!’?” Jess asked bluntly.

            “No, no, not like that!” Carla wrinkled her nose at the idea. “Don’t be such a caveman! You have to approach it more delicately like that. Have some finesse. This sort of thing deserves a proper conversation.”

            “When?” Jess pressed. “Right when I walk in the door? Or how about when he’s absorbed in watching TV? Or maybe when he and my dad are cooking breakfast? I don’t know about you, but to me these don’t seem like good times.”

            “No, you’re right,” she agreed. “You can’t just start talking about this sort of thing just whenever. It’s gotta be done at the right moment.”

            “There _is_ no right moment!” he groused. “There’s never going to _be_ a right moment, because that’s our lives! That’s how we spend every single day! So what exactly do you want me to do about it if there’s never going to be a right moment to tell him?”

            Carla pursed her lips, for once without words. They walked together in silence for a while, and Jess allowed himself to hope that maybe now she would finally drop the subject. He didn’t need her pestering him about feelings he was only just beginning to realize, not when she couldn’t possibly know the full scope of the situation. Kai was a merman, after all, and he was only human. What kind of advice could Carla possibly give to help him overcome that?

            After walking a full block in silence, Carla pulled out her phone and began to fiddle with it. Jess glanced over just in time to see a familiar picture on her screen before it went black again.

            “Was that the selfie we took?” he asked.

            “Yeah. Wanna see?” Carla pressed a button, and the screen lit up, showing him the picture they’d taken of the four of them crowded together in Jess’s living room. His eyes lingered on Kai’s smiling face. He looked so content…

            “Aussie and I set it as the background on our phones,” Carla supplied. “It’s a cute picture. Want me to send it to you?”

            “I don’t think my flip phone can get pictures,” Jess said regretfully. It really was a nice picture, and the only one they’d taken of Kai.

            “I’ll send it to you in an email then.” She shrugged, clicking on an icon on her screen. Her fingers tapped a few more buttons in rapid succession that Jess couldn’t follow before she clicked one final button with a triumphant flourish. “There, sent! Check your email when you get home.”

            “Thanks, Carla,” he replied, oddly touched by her thoughtfulness.

            “So,” she continued, giving him the side-eye as she slipped her phone back into her pocket, “I found a dress for my History Club’s dance.”

            “Con… grats?” Jess offered uncertainly, taken off guard by the change in subject. “I kinda assumed as much after you and Kai got back from your shopping trip last week, so why’re you telling me this now?”

            “Well, I need a date for the dance–” she raised her eyebrows at him– “and you still owe me a favor.”

            Jess stopped in his tracks and crossed his arms over his chest in vehement negation. He saw where this was going, and he was going to put a stop to that idea _right now_ before she could drag him into what could only be a thoroughly embarrassing situation for him.

            “No way!” he said with a firm shake of his head. “There is absolutely no way I’ll be your date for the dance! Why would you even ask that?”

            “Oh, come on,” she huffed, rolling her eyes. “I’m not asking you out, if that’s what you think this is. I just want you to go with me. You know, as a friend.”

            “Didn’t you say this dance has a period theme?” he pointed out evasively. “I guarantee you the suit in my closet doesn’t fit the theme!”

            “We don’t enforce a dress code on non-club members,” she dismissed. “The dance is open to the entire school, so we know not everyone’s gonna dress to match the theme. Your suit is fine, but if you’re really that worried about the theme, I can get you an ascot to wear instead of a tie. I saw one that matches the dress perfectly when I went with Kai.”

            “The answer’s still no, Carla,” Jess said firmly.

            “What’s the problem?” Carla pouted. “All you have to do is show up and dance!”

            “Well maybe I don’t know how to dance!” he finally snapped as his patience gave out.

            That brought her up short. She turned to him, her eyes wide and her mouth gaping almost comically in surprise.

            “So you’re telling me that you, Jesse Azure, with your pipes of gold and your fingers of silver, have feet of lead?”

            Jess huffed and crossed his arms across his chest defensively, trying not to blush with embarrassment.

            “Singing and playing the piano have nothing to do with dancing,” he grumbled. “I’ve never learned how to dance, ok? So there, I can’t go to your stupid dance.”

            “Well we’ll just have to fix that,” Carla said without missing a beat, much to his annoyance. “I’ll teach you. We can spend an hour after school every day practicing in the gym.”

            “Why do you want me to go so bad, Carla? What’s the point?” he asked, exasperated. Carla just always had to have things her way, didn’t she? What did it matter if he didn’t want any part in her schemes?

            Carla frowned as if she was genuinely hurt by his disinterest.

            “Because,” she said, “this is our senior year. It’s our last year of high school – our last chance to make some memories together before life happens and we get dragged apart! We’re going to be in college next year, and I don’t even know if we’ll be going to the same school. I just wanted to share the memory of my last high school dance with you, because you’re my best friend.”

            Jess blinked, taken off guard by her sentimental appeal. When she put it like that, the idea didn’t sound nearly as bad as he was making it out to be. He was actually starting to feel guilty for refusing.

            “What day is the dance?” he asked tentatively.

            “It’s not ‘til next Friday – two weeks from now,” Carla replied.

            “Next Friday as in the twenty-third? Of October?” Jess clarified.

            “Yeah,” she said with a slight frown. “Why? Already got plans that night?”

            “I don’t know, maybe. It’s the day before my birthday,” he pointed out. “I’ll have to check with my dad if we’re doing anything, but if not, then maybe – _maybe_ – I’ll go…”

            Carla let out a shriek of delight in response and launched herself at him in a spontaneous hug. Jess huffed in surprise, his arms coming up instinctively to catch her.

            “This is going to be so awesome!” she squealed, looking up at him with shining eyes. “I promise you won’t regret this!”

            “I already do!” he puffed good-naturedly, earning a playful swat on the chest. “Just remember though, I have to ask my dad first!”

            Carla laughed and shook her head as if she couldn’t imagine John Azure saying no to such a request – and knowing his father, he probably wouldn’t. They resumed their walk on a more amicable note, and all the while Jess wondered what he had gotten himself into. 

*           *           *

 

             It was nearly midnight by the time Jess managed to crawl into bed that evening. By some good grace, he had managed to survive an evening with Kai without remembering his dream and turning red as a result. It helped that between doing his homework and Kai being distracted by the TV, their interactions had been kept to a minimum. Now that he was finally in his bedroom alone though, he could relax without worry of where his mind might wander.

            After getting settled beneath the covers, Jess rolled over in bed and brought out the book hidden beneath his pillows: the book on the New Falen Shipping Company. He’d been hiding it in his room, not knowing how Kai might react to seeing it. Until now, he hadn’t had much time to read it beyond skimming the first few sentences, but now he had the chance to sit down and read it properly. Turning to the first chapter, he read:

_The New Falen Shipping Company has enjoyed over one hundred years of success and is the world leader in overseas shipping. Founded in 1846, this company is the oldest in its industry and is still considered one of the most trusted shipping options in spite of the rise of much faster ground and air shipping methods. In 2011 alone, it boasted a net profit of over $2.2 million, over half a million dollars more than its next leading competitor._

_Though the company has enjoyed fortune and stability in recent years, the New Falen Shipping Company suffered through a series of successes and failures early on in its inception. In the beginning, the company was founded by two brothers, Everett and Stephan Vanier. As sons of a lesser merchant family, the Vanier brothers understood the value of delivering fast and reliable service. Using this as their principle business model, the brothers amassed the funds to purchase a decommissioned schooner that they repurposed as a small but speedy cargo vessel. This ship – dubbed ‘The Maria’ after Everett Vanier’s sweetheart and later wife, Marianna Santori – became the first vessel in the New Falen Shipping Company fleet._

_With a ship under their command, the Vanier brothers began to build their reputation within the newly founded City of Falen. As their reputation and fleet grew, Everett Vanier took on a more public role, reaching out to and currying favor with a number of prosperous New Falen merchants to establish the company’s clientele base. Everett was considered to be very charming and charismatic, and he later went on to host numerous social events with the company’s most favored clientele in the brothers’ shared estate. Stephan Vanier, on the other hand, with his commanding but often silent presence, organized and directed the company’s internal affairs._

             The book went on to discuss some of the company’s more influential clientele and how the Vaniers cultivated their company’s reputation as the fastest and most reliable overseas shipper in the country in that day and time. None of this particularly interested Jess, and as he kept reading, his attention began to drift towards sleep. In that half-stupefied state, his mind conjured images of ships sailing through a stormy sea, the purple tail of a mermaid disappearing beneath the waves, and pale, naked skin beneath his fingertips. His dream might have continued along that last line if at that moment his phone hadn’t started buzzing, jarring him awake.

            Startled, Jess blinked back into alertness. The light from his bedside lamp was painfully bright after having nodded off, and he rolled over to turn it off. Only then did he notice that the screen of his phone was lit up with an incoming call. Still groggy, he fumbled with it until he managed to flip it open and hold it up to his ear.

            “H-hullo?”

            “… Jess?”

            He let out a soft groan. Only Carla could find a way to pester him at this hour.

            “What do you want, Carla?” he grumbled, twisting around to squint at the alarm clock on his bedside table. “It’s two in the morning; can’t this wait?”

            “I was wondering… if I could come over?” Her voice was softer than normal and uncharacteristically apprehensive. Jess was considering telling her no when she whispered, “I had a nightmare…”

            That got his attention, and he sat up a little straighter in bed.

            “A bad one?” he asked quietly.

            There was silence on the other end of the line, and then Carla sniffled. That was all the answer Jess needed.

            “I’m unlocking the front door now,” he said, throwing off the covers.

            Carla sniffled again before murmuring a watery, “Thank you.”

            “Don’t mention it,” Jess mumbled as he hung up.        

            He dragged the comforter off his bed and carried it with him downstairs. This wasn’t the first time he’d had to comfort Carla after one of her nightmares. He didn’t know what all went on in that head of hers, but sometimes, when the nightmares were particularly bad, she would come over to seek out his comfort in the middle of the night like this, and it wasn’t uncommon during those times for her to spend the night. His father at least had stopped questioning it whenever he would come downstairs in the morning to find the two of them wrapped in a blanket on the couch.

            Jess had just finished throwing the comforter onto the couch along with a few spare pillows when he heard a knock at the front door. He opened it to find Carla standing on his porch. Immediately he could tell something was off about her. She looked like she had just thrown on the same t-shirt and denim cutoffs she’d worn to school that day before coming over. She hadn’t taken the time to put on her usual adornments of makeup and fishnet leggings, and the result somehow made her look small and vulnerable compared to her usual loud and overly showy self. The difference was so striking that he almost felt like he was looking at an entirely different person.

            “Come on in,” Jess invited, holding the door open wide for her.

            Without saying anything, Carla stepped forward and into the open space of his arms. She buried her face in his chest and broke down in quiet sobs. Startled, Jess froze for a moment before bringing his arms up to hold her while she cried. This wasn’t like her. Even the worst of her nightmares rarely brought Carla to tears. _It must have been really bad this time..._ He thought.

            They stood in the doorway for several moments before Jess gently guided her over to the couch.

            “Tell me what happened,” he ordered softly as he sat her down and wrapped the comforter over her shoulders.

            Carla sniffled for a moment before she rasped, “We were in the hospital…”

            Jess nodded silently, starting to make sense of it. This was a recurring theme in many of her nightmares, and the hospital’s presence alone could account for the severity of this particular one. Carla feared them on a base level, and though she never told him the full story, he knew it had something to do with her mother dying of an incurable illness when she was young.

            This was the part where he expected Carla to recite how she had languished in a hospital bed, weak and unable to move while doctors hovered over her with needles and other medical equipment, as these nightmares usually went, but what she said next shocked him.

            “I couldn’t find you. You were there, dying – I could feel it! But I couldn’t find you!”

            She broke down in sobs again, and this time Jess was too startled to comfort her. He sat shell-shocked and staring at her until her weeping subsided into soft sniffles.

            “I looked everywhere… I ran up and down the halls and searched every room. Sometimes I could feel you were there, just on the other side of a door, but when I opened it, the room was empty. I couldn’t–! I couldn’t…”

            She trailed off again and sat staring at nothing as if by this point she was simply too drained to do or say anything more. Watching her, Jess felt the beginning pangs of guilt creeping upon him. Carla had never had a nightmare like this before; as far as he knew, he had never starred in any of her nightmares before, let alone one of her hospital nightmares. The only thing he could think of to account for the sudden change now could only be the months that he’d spent avoiding her. Had it really left that much of a mark on her?

            “I’m sorry,” he murmured, leaning in to wrap his arms around her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you before. I will be now.”

            Carla didn’t say anything. After a long moment, she quietly turned her face into the crook of his shoulder, staining his shirt with her tears.

            “Promise?” she whispered.

            “I promise.”

            They stayed like that for several moments, long enough for Jess to wonder if she’d fallen asleep. He was just considering trying to coax her into lying down when she sat up, pulling out of his embrace.

            “Thanks, I… I think I needed this,” she murmured quietly. “It helps.”

            In spite of her words though, Carla didn’t look much improved. Her eyes were distant again, her cheeks still wet with tears, and the occasional sniffle escaped her every now and then. Jess ran a hand through his hair, trying to think of something to say that would cheer her up, and then he remembered one of their earlier conversations.

            “Hey, I talked with my dad earlier, about the dance,” he offered. He’d managed to bring it up with his father at a time when Kai had been distracted by the TV, which he was strangely grateful for. He hadn’t wanted Kai to overhear and get the wrong idea. “Dad says we don’t have anything planned, so I can go.”

            Carla took the news with a quiet nod, not displaying any of the excitement or enthusiasm she’d shown earlier that day. She was really starting to worry him. Unable to think of something better that might cheer her up, Jess fell back on a tried and true tactic that he’d always relied on in the past for times like these.

            “How about I go make us some hot chocolate?” he suggested gently.

            Carla let out another loud sniffle before she nodded again. As quietly as he could manage, Jess got up and went to rummage in one of the kitchen cabinets until he produced a box of instant hot chocolate mix. He pulled mugs from another cabinet and filled them with milk from the fridge before setting them to warm in the microwave. Watching the mugs spin in slow circles as they heated had a soothing, hypnotic effect on him, and before he knew it, the microwave let out a strident _beep!_ to announce that they were ready.

            Flinching in surprise, Jess hurried to retrieve the mugs before the microwave could make anymore loud noises that might disturb the house’s other occupants. As he was stirring the packets of hot chocolate mix into each mug though, he heard the creak of a door and quiet footsteps shuffling down the hall, and then a quiet voice broke the silence.

            “Jess? Is that you?”

            Glancing up, Jess saw that Kai was standing in the hallway. The merman looked half asleep, rubbing his eyes and wearing an old, oversized tank top of Jess’s that had stretched to the point where it hung down to his knees like a nightgown. Jess smiled apologetically at Kai.

            “Did we wake you? Sorry. Carla came over to visit,” he explained gently.

            “Carla?” Kai asked, looking around in confusion until he spotted her on the couch.

            “Hi,” she said weakly. She tried to smile the same way Jess had, but even in the dim light thrown off by the open microwave it looked broken and painfully wrong on her face.

            Kai took this in and without saying anything, he went to the couch and wrapped Carla in a hug that she gratefully returned. It was the first time Jess had seen the merman give any sort of physical affection or comfort to someone other than him, and he braced himself for the wave of jealousy that would evoke, but surprisingly it didn’t come. Instead, what he felt was a deeper sense of gratitude to Kai for giving Carla his support. Maybe deep down he was coming to realize that Carla might need Kai’s friendship just as much as Kai needed hers.

            Jess gave them a moment to cling to each other for comfort before making his way over to them. He offered them each a mug. Carla took hers with a quiet murmur of thanks, while Kai eyed the other questioningly.

            “I made hot chocolate,” Jess explained. “Want to try some?”

            If there was one thing he’d learned about Kai in the two weeks since the merman had come to live with them, it was that Kai was always willing to try new foods. It seemed like he was trying to make up for all the years he’d spent out at sea eating nothing but raw fish. Kai took the mug curiously and raised it to his lips, taking a tentative sip.

            “It’s sweet,” he remarked, sounding surprised.

            “Of course it is,” Carla replied, frowning a little over her own mug. “Haven’t you had chocolate before?”

            As she said this though, she seemed to catch herself, perhaps remembering Kai’s backstory, and murmured, “Sorry. I forget sometimes that you didn’t grow up like us.”

            “It’s ok,” Kai murmured with a gentle smile. “Chocolate was a luxury for my family, growing up. I only got to try it a couple times, and it wasn’t as good as this.”

            “I’ll go make myself another mug,” Jess excused himself.

            When he returned, Kai and Carla were exchanging what sounded to him like stories of their favorite memories involving hot chocolate. Kai kept the details vague so as not to give away anything too revealing about his past, but the quiet fondness with which he spoke gave his stories a homely, rosy glow. Carla at last seemed to be snapping out of the funk her nightmare had put her in, and when she launched into a retelling of a particular snowy day that Jess remembered well, he added a few of his own memories to the collection.

            And thus it passed that the three of them fell asleep like that on the couch, warmed to their cores by hot chocolate and sweet memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Posted in the nick of time! Thank you all for your patience in waiting for this update, and I hope everyone had a happy holidays and is enjoying the New Year! Next update is a very special one to mark Valentine's Day, so be sure to check back here on February 14th! See you then!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, the dance chapter.
> 
> Where Jess forgets to save room for Jesus.
> 
> Enjoy~! <3

            “Let’s stop there for the day,” Carla announced as she twirled her way back into Jess’s arms for the fifth time that afternoon.

            Jess stopped moving with some relief and took a step back, letting his hands fall to his sides. After two weeks of practice, he still found dancing with Carla to be one of the most awkward and uncomfortable experiences of his life. In that short amount of time, he’d at least learned the basic steps of the classic waltz and could perform them somewhat smoothly if not gracefully, but that was the extent of what he’d learned. He was not anticipating dancing in a crowd.

            “Are you sure that’s enough?” he asked anxiously. “I mean, it’s just one waltz. I thought your club was gonna show off a lot of different dance styles from back then.”

            “We are, but there’s only so much I can teach you in two weeks, and I’m not asking you to dance the night away with me,” Carla assured him. “I’m just focusing on the waltz since that’s kind of the big thing. Sorta like the main event, y’know?”

            His apprehension must have been apparent on his face, for she moved in close and patted him reassuringly on the cheek, like a mother would with her child.

            “Relax, you’ll be fine,” she said with an amused smile. “If you’re that worried about the dancing, then don’t come ‘til later. Most of the period dancing will be early on since all the non-club members tend to show up towards the end of the night. That’s when we mix in the pop music.”

            “Pop music?” Jess echoed incredulously. “I thought this was a period dance?”

            “It’s a _party_ ,” Carla stressed. “It’s supposed to be fun for everyone. Just show up around eight o’clock or so and you’re golden.”

            Jess nodded, though he was still dreading this evening. Why he’d ever allowed Carla to drag him into this, he had no idea. Still, it was too late to back out now. _Best to get it over with…_

            Just then, the doors to the school gym opened, and a trio of chattering students came in carrying boxes of what looked like decorations. Carla grinned and waved to them.

            “You should head home now,” she said to Jess. “I’m staying to help with the setup for the dance, but I’ll be swinging by your place later to drop off that ascot I mentioned. You still have that kinda chalky-looking, pale blue dress shirt, don’t you?”

            “I think so,” Jess said. “The one Dad made me wear to Aussie’s middle school graduation a couple years back?”

            “Yeah, that one. Wear that with your suit and the ascot. It’ll look good with the dress,” she instructed, waving him off as she turned towards her club-mates. “I’ll see you at the party!”

            Sighing to himself, Jess turned and gathered up his backpack from where he and Carla had dropped their stuff by one of the fold-away bleachers. By now it was already half past three in the afternoon; that gave him hours left to himself.

            The walk home was surprisingly lonely. In the few weeks since his confrontation with Carla in the alley, he’d already grown re-accustomed to walking to and from school with Carla and Aussie as company – and lately, just Carla, as Aussie’s new job had been taking up more and more of his time after school. He’d thought he’d liked the quiet and the solitude of walking by himself during the few months he’d spent avoiding Carla, but not having either of them with him now was strangely _too_ quiet.

            At home though, the reception for him was anything but. Classical music filled the house, emanating from the TV. Ever since Jess had shown Kai how to operate the TV with the remote, the merman had taken to channel surfing and had developed a special liking for the channels hosted by various radio networks. More often than not, Jess would come home to find the merman curled up on the couch with a book and music playing in the background. Like now, for instance.

            “Hey,” Jess greeted, settling down on the couch next to him. “I see you found the classical music station.”

            “It’s my favorite so far,” Kai said, smiling as he glanced over at the screen, which was slowly shuffling through a series of landscape photographs. “I like having something to listen to while I’m reading.”

            “It is nice,” Jess agreed. He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out his homework. “Mind if I join you?”

            “Of course!” Kai smiled welcomingly at him.

            Smiling back, Jess got to work on his homework. Some days, it could be easy like this. The two of them could sit together, talking or just quietly being near each other while each doing their own thing, as if everything was normal. And then other times, Jess found himself absorbed in Kai. His thoughts would fill with the merman, or he’d catch himself staring at him, watching the delicate way he brushed a stray strand of hair back behind his ear or the soft, unconscious smile of contentment that played across his face as he read.

            It was in moments like those that he felt that he should say something. Anything. He could practically hear Carla inside his head coaching him to tell Kai the way he made him feel, but every time he mustered enough courage to put his feelings into words, Kai would meet his eye and smile, and suddenly his courage would evaporate like dew in the sunlight.

            Now was starting to become one of those moments. He was finding it harder and harder to focus on his homework with Kai so nearby. He shook his head, trying to snap out of it and redirect his attention back to his textbook, but that was quickly forgotten when the merman shifted positions to lean comfortably into Jess’s shoulder. Kai did that sometimes, seeking out small and harmless forms of physical contact and dashing Jess’s thoughts to pieces in the process, and Jess was only grateful that the merman hadn’t tried kissing him again. He didn’t know how to handle that now without dissolving into a blushing, stammering mess and making a complete fool of himself.

 _I could tell him._ He realized suddenly, and his heart fluttered wildly at the thought. This was the perfect moment. They were alone together, comfortable and content with very little to distract them. When would they ever get a chance like this again? _I could just say it right now!_

            “Kai?”

            The merman hummed questioningly, tilting his head to look up at Jess. Staring into those amethyst eyes made his heart beat faster, and he swallowed nervously. _Just say it! Say it already!_

            “I… I think…!” _I think I might love you!_

            Just then, they heard the metallic scrape of the garage door opening. Kai straightened up, half turning towards the sound.

            “Oh, your father’s home early,” he remarked before turning back to Jess. “What were you going to say?”

            “I-it’s nothing,” Jess stammered quickly, his eyes dropping to the floor. “Forget about it.”

            Relief and disappointment weighed upon him in equal measure, and he knew that Kai was about to ask again, but he was saved from having to respond by his father coming into the room. Kai turned instead to offer the man a greeting, and Jess used his distraction as an opportunity to escape.

            “I’m gonna go get ready. It’s getting late,” he announced in vague terms. His father would know what he meant, but he hadn’t yet told Kai about the dance. If he told Kai that he was going with Carla, would the merman think they were dating? Kai knew they had a history, no thanks to Carla’s big mouth; it wouldn’t be hard to reach that conclusion. And even if Jess explained that he was only going with Carla as a friend, there was no telling if Kai would believe him. _This was bad idea all along…_ _Why did I let Carla talk me into it?!_

            Before either John or Kai had the chance to say anything else to him, Jess jumped up from the couch and bounded up the stairs. From the top steps he could hear them remarking curiously about his sudden departure, but their conversation soon turned to other things. Sighing, Jess went to his bedroom to start preparing for the dance.

            From the back of his closet he retrieved his suit. It was old and rarely worn and smelled like dust and disuse as a result. The last time he’d worn it had been when his aunt had come down from her ranch in the foothills to visit on the anniversary of his mother’s death some months before. He rarely saw the woman otherwise, and likewise he rarely wore his suit. It was only for special occasions.

            Laying the suit out on his bed, Jess looked over each piece as if hoping to find some hole or loose threads that he could use as a last minute excuse to avoid going to the dance. The trouble was that having received such infrequent use in its life meant that the suit was in good repair. He might have pleaded that the old suit didn’t fit him anymore, but it fit just fine a few months ago, and even so his father had insisted that he try it on earlier that week to be sure before whisking it off to the dry cleaners. He couldn’t even claim it was wrinkled…

            Jess stared down at the suit for a long moment. There were no more excuses left to make. Sighing, he glanced over at his alarm clock and saw that the time was only about half past six o’clock. Carla had told him earlier that the party would start around seven o’clock. If he got dressed now and left immediately, he’d make it to the school only a few minutes after the party started, but he didn’t want to arrive that early. A shower would take up some time, he decided, and that’s what he did.

            Partway through lathering up his hair with shampoo though, there came a loud and demanding knock at the bathroom door. Jess frowned to himself, closing his eyes and tipping his head back into the water to rinse. Whatever it was could wait until he at least wasn’t in danger of getting shampoo in his eyes. Strange though, his father and Kai usually knocked much more quietly…

            “Jess! Just letting you know that I brought over the ascot!”

            Jess stifled a groan. Of course it would be Carla…

            “I’m a little busy at the moment!” he yelled back. “I’m nowhere near ready to go!”

            “That’s fine! I’m driving myself to the party as soon as I get dressed back at my place,” Carla shouted through the door. “Don’t bother waiting here for me or coming to my house. Go straight to the party when you’re ready. I already bought your ticket, so when you get there, head to the will call booth – and don’t even _think_ about trying to weasel your way out of this!”

            “Fine!” he huffed back. “Just go away and let me shower! I’ll see you there!”

            He waited for a long moment, listening to see if she had anything else to say, but thankfully she seemed to have left him in peace. Sighing, he continued with his shower.

            Once he was clean, Jess stood in front of the bathroom mirror, toweling himself off. No matter how he patted at his hair though with the towel, it refused to improve beyond being a mess of damp curls. He was going to have to blow dry it if he didn’t want it dripping down his back all night, and he supposed grudgingly that he owed it to Carla to try and at least make himself look nice for once, even if he did resent her for dragging him into this whole mess.

            Another fifteen minutes ticked away as Jess dried his hair with the help of a blow dryer and a comb. If he really took his time drying it slowly, he might have been able to blow out the curls until his hair was mostly straight, the way his mother used to for any major social function, but that was a level of effort that he wasn’t willing to put in for an event that he was dreading so much. As it was, the final result was that his hair was less curly than usual, arranging itself into a soft pouf atop his head. It still tended to curl in the back where it was too short to comb out properly, but the overall effect was satisfying, at least to him.

            With his towel wrapped around his waist, Jess made his way back to the bedroom. The room was exactly as he had left it, save for the addition of what looked like a tie that had been left sitting on top of his suit jacket, except it didn’t look like any tie he’d ever seen. Unlike most ties, which were broad at one end and gradually tapered down to a thin tail, this tie was broad at both ends with a narrow middle.

            Jess picked the thing – the ascot that Carla had brought for him, he surmised – up and examined it, his eyes traveling over the aqua-toned paisley print embossed against a dark teal background. It was a pretty design, he’d concede that much, and the colors would stand out nicely against his pale blue dress shirt and black suit, but he had no idea what to do with it. It would look silly if he tried tying the thing like a regular tie. How did Carla expect him to wear this thing?

            A quick glance at the clock told him that the time was nearly seven o’clock. He was starting to run short on time if he wanted to arrive at the party by eight o’clock – he didn’t really, but he was sure he’d hear no end of it from Carla if he arrived too late for her liking. Setting the ascot aside for the moment, he focused on hurriedly getting dressed first before he had to deal with the unfamiliar neckpiece.

            “How does this thing work?” he grumbled under his breath, holding it up to his neck and fumbling to tie it with a simple knot. The silky fabric wouldn’t hold, coming untied as soon as he let go. Instead, he tried a Windsor knot like with a regular tie, but the results were just as ridiculous as he expected.

            Another glance at the clock told him that he was starting to run late. He was just debating the wisdom of abandoning the ascot and retrieving his tie from the closet when an idea occurred to him. _If ascots were a thing back in the 1800’s, then maybe Kai knows how to tie one… I was going to have to tell him about the dance eventually._ The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he was rapidly running out of time and options. He hurried down the stairs.

            “Hey Kai, can you help me with something for a second?” Jess called out as he descended the last few steps.

            The merman did not answer. Puzzled, Jess looked around the living room, but Kai was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he found his father reclined in the loveseat, quietly reading the newspaper by himself.

            “Kai’s not here,” John informed him, glancing up from his paper.

            “Where is he?” Jess asked, frowning in surprise. It wasn’t like Kai to go anywhere, much less without Jess or his father accompanying him.

            “He went with Carla when she stopped by,” the man explained. “I believe she said they had some things they needed to attend to together at her house before the dance.”

            “Is she bringing him back soon?” Jess asked, brow furrowing in consternation. What on earth was Carla up to now?

            “She said that they had plans.” John shrugged. “I assume that means she’ll be bringing him back here after the dance.”

            “Oh,” Jess mumbled, befuddled. That at least saved him the trouble of having to explain to Kai about the dance, but what was Carla thinking bringing Kai over to her house just to leave him there while she and Jess were away?

            “Did you need something?” John Azure prompted, bringing Jess’s attention back to his present situation.

            “I needed help with this,” Jess said, holding up the foreign piece of neckwear. “Dad, do you know how to tie an ascot?”

            His father made a slight frown as he set his paper down and came to stand in front of Jess. “It’s been a while, but I can certainly try to remember. Is this something you have to wear for the dance?”

            “I guess so,” Jess mumbled. “Carla wants me to wear it.”

            He held still while his father took the ascot and brought it around his neck. He tied it with a simple knot similar to how Jess had first tried and then leaned back to inspect it.

            “This is how we wore it back in my day, but it’s a rather informal way of wearing it,” John explained before untying and retying it again. “There, I think this is closer to what you’re going for.”

            John straightened and fluffed the ascot before unbuttoning the top two buttons of Jess’s dress shirt to tuck the tails into it. He gave Jess a slight push on the shoulder, directing him towards the guest bathroom to check the ascot for himself. The way it was arranged now had the ascot peeking out of his shirt collar like a flashy pouf of color. To Jess’s surprise, he found himself actually rather liking the way it completed the outfit. He’d never been particularly fond of how stiff and formal his classic black suit looked before when paired with a tie, but the ascot had an overall softening effect that made the outfit look comfortable on him.

            “It suits you,” his father remarked, looking in from around the door frame.

            “Yeah, I guess it does,” Jess breathed, still too surprised to say much of anything.

            “Maybe in the future we’ll get you some more ascots to wear with your suit,” John chuckled, turning towards the stairs. “Now, stay right there while I go get my camera.”

            “Wait, Dad, I really don’t have time for pictures!” Jess turned quickly to protest.

            “It’ll only be a few pictures to commemorate the occasion. It’s not every day a man’s son attends his first high school dance! It’s too bad Carla and Kai aren’t here though,” his father mused, already climbing the first few steps. “I would have liked to have gotten a few pictures with all three of you.”

            “Yeah, Dad, but I really have to go. Carla’s already there waiting on me,” Jess insisted, vaguely wondering why his father would include Kai in the pictures when Jess and Carla were the ones who would be all dressed up for the dance. “We can do pictures after the dance, I promise.”

            “Well, I suppose that’s true,” his father acquiesced as he reluctantly came back down. “Now, just how were you planning on getting to the dance?”

            “I was gonna walk?” Jess said.

            “You’ll ruin your good suit like that,” his father objected immediately.

            “Um, then maybe I can borrow the car?” Jess suggested instead. He didn’t often drive himself much considering that he didn’t have a car of his own and most places were easily within walking distance of his home, but if his father was going to protest him walking to the school, then Jess wanted to be the one to drive himself there and back. He wanted the freedom to leave the party when he felt like it, not be stuck waiting there for his father to come pick him up or otherwise have to beg Carla to take him home.

            John hesitated and looked like he might object to this plan as well before he gave in and went to retrieve the car keys.

            “I want you home by no later than ten o’clock, and be careful driving on the roads at night,” his father told him sternly as he handed over the keys. “I don’t like to think of you driving out there at night, but you’re a grown man, and I trust you to make smart choices.”

            “I will,” Jess promised. “I’ll be back later!”

            “Drive safe, and have a good time!” John called after him as he headed for the door.

            For a Friday evening, the drive to school was a quiet and uneventful one. Jess guided the silver sedan into an open parking spot in the lot nearest to the gym. He’d arrived a few minutes earlier than expected, thanks to the speed of driving, but that was not a relief for him. Instead, he sat idling in the parked vehicle, anxious and wishing he’d just stayed home. Even with all of Carla’s reassurances about the dress code and his dancing abilities, he was certain that he was going to embarrass himself in some way and was not looking forward to it.

            With a sigh, Jess cut the ignition and stepped outside into the cool evening air. It was too late to back out of this now. All that was left to do was to grit his teeth and get it over with.

            He made his way towards the gym. Even from a distance he could hear the muted tones of the music, and as he approached, the elegant tones of classical compositions faded intermittently into the pulsing beats of the latest hits in pop music. The combination was odd and disjointed to his ears and didn’t seem appropriate, but then he’d never been one to attend these sort of events, so he didn’t know what was appropriate.

            When he entered the gym, the scene that greeted him was a collision of both the Nineteenth Century and the present. The entire space was flooded in soft white light that emanated from a grand crystal chandelier that had been hung from the rafters over the center of the room. From it, streamers of sheer fabrics and string lights had been hung and draped to frame the huge open space that served as the dance floor. In addition to that, a pair of spotlights had been outfitted with blue and purple light bulbs and were aimed at the enormous fixture at the ceiling so that the light refracted off the multitude of dangling crystals, creating a flickering display reminiscent of a strobe light over the dancefloor.

            Just beyond the edge of the dancefloor, there was a set of long tables set up that appeared to be a serving station for small finger foods and drinks. There was a large gap behind the snack tables where more tables could have been set up for people to sit and eat at, but rather than doing so, the party organizers had opted to make use of the gym’s fold-away bleachers, pulling them out to make benches for the students to sit on. The only other tables in the room were immediately in front of the gym’s entrance with paper signs denoting them as the ticket purchasing and will call stations.

            Jess went over to the will call booth, where a girl was sitting behind the table distributing tickets from a lock box full of envelopes. She smiled at him as he approached and asked sweetly, “What name is your ticket under?”

            “Uh, Michaelson, I think?” Jess offered. “Carla bought my ticket for me, so I have no idea if she put it under her name or mine.”

            “Ah, I see,” the girl said with a knowing smile as she flipped through the envelopes. She pulled out one with Carla’s last name written on it in large print, along with the number three, and from it she took out the remaining ticket. “You’re Jess then, I presume?”

            “That’s right.” Jess nodded.

            “Carla seems to have invited a lot of guests this year,” the girl remarked conversationally as she wrote down a note on what Jess assumed was a book of all the party’s attendees. She held out her hand to him expectantly, palm up. “Let me see your hand, please.”

            Jess did as he was bid, placing his right hand palm up in hers, not sure what to expect. She smiled indulgently at him before turning his hand over and pressing a wet ink stamp onto the back of it.

            “There, that’s to show that your admission has been paid for if you lose your ticket.” She gave him a wink before handing it to him and waving him off. “Have fun now!”

            Nearly blushing from embarrassment, Jess mumbled out a quick thank you before hurrying away. He’d hardly been at the dance for more than a minute and he was already making a fool of himself! _Maybe I can just tell Carla I showed up and couldn’t find her so I decided to go home…_ He thought longingly. He was keeping near the edge of the room, close to the bleachers were there was space to walk freely without bumping into any of the dancing or milling throngs. He was resolving to do just that when out of nowhere someone all but tackled him from behind.

            “I can’t believe you came!” Carla squealed from somewhere just behind his ear as she hugged him.

            “Carla!” he yelped, jumping in surprise. “Don’t do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

            “Sorry,” she apologized sheepishly, releasing him. “I’m just so happy you came!”

            “It’s not like you gave me much choice,” Jess grumbled, turning to face her.

            She was wearing a ball gown like many of the other girls in attendance. Hers was a rich, dark red with black lace and trim and a train of ruffles cascading down her backside like a waterfall. She turned in a small circle in front of him, showing the garment off.

            “Like it?” she asked.

            “I guess,” he mumbled, absentmindedly wondering just how she thought a teal-and-aqua ascot was supposed to match a dark red dress.

            She grinned and struck a pose so that he was viewing her from the side. The pose made the train of ruffles stand out in sharp contrast on her slim figure.

            “Does this bustle make my butt look big?” she asked with mock concern.

            Jess couldn’t help bursting out with a startled laugh. That was _exactly_ what it looked like to him. Carla grinned back.

            “See, someone appreciates my jokes,” she preened smugly. “Kai didn’t get it when I asked him that one.”

            “Yeah, about that,” Jess said, regaining his composure. “Why did you bring him over to your house before the dance?”

            “Because we needed to get all dressed up for it.” Carla shrugged.

            “Ok, but why didn’t you drop him back off at my house on your way here? What’s he supposed to do at your place while you’re gone?” Jess pressed, confused. What did Kai have to do with Jess and Carla getting dressed up for the dance?

            Carla gave him an incredulous look. “Jess, you can’t seriously be this oblivious.”

            “What?” he said, and then more defensively as Carla continued to stare him down, “What?!”

            “Haven’t you figured it out by now? Just… Ugh, come with me!”

            With that she took hold of his shoulders, forcibly turning him around, and proceeded to march him deliberately across the gym. Jess groused and complained as she did, but he allowed himself to be pushed. They made it past the crowd to the open space beyond the dancefloor, and what Jess saw there made him gape.

            Standing across the room about as far away from the crowd as he could possibly get was Kai. The merman hovered nervously in the unoccupied zone behind the snack tables, looking for all the world like a lost deer that had stumbled its way into a suburban neighborhood and didn’t know how he’d ended up here, except that the dress he wore fit the period theme of the party so perfectly, he looked like he could have stepped right out of a Nineteenth Century portrait.

            His ball gown was modest in comparison to many of the others. There were no ruffles and lace, and the skirt was made up of only two layers from what Jess could see. The bottom edge of the sea green top skirt was gathered and pinned up with black bows, creating a loose, scalloped look beneath which the black underskirt was visible. The dress’s simple, heart-shaped top was made of the same sea green material as the skirt and was unembellished, save for the dark teal panel on its front, the matching poufy sleeves, and the teal sash that was tied around the garment’s waist. It was a rather plain ball gown when compared to some of the others on display, but to Jess’s eyes, it was beautiful for simply being worn by the most beautiful person in the room.

            Carla gave Jess a little nudge on the shoulder and leaned up to murmur in his ear, “You’re welcome!”

            That had him snapping out of his momentary stunned reverie, and he half turned to Carla to hiss, “What were you thinking?! You ought to know by now that Kai’s terrified of strangers! Why would you bring him to a _party_ of all things?!”

            “Because how else were you supposed to get your special moment to talk to each other?” Carla retorted, grinning with self-satisfaction. “Now’s your chance to swoop to the rescue, woo him, and then confess your feelings!”

            Suddenly everything clicked in his head: Carla’s insistence that he attend her club’s dance, her picking up Kai on her way home before the dance to ‘get ready,’ the large number three printed on the envelope with Carla’s name on it and the will call girl’s strange comments about how many guests Carla had invited; Carla had planned this!

            “This was a setup all along!” he accused hotly.

            “Of course it was,” she dismissed casually, giving him a frank look. “You’re just now figuring it out?”

            “All that crap you spouted about needing a date and wanting me to come ‘as your friend’ – I bet you already had a date and everything!”

            Carla’s grin returned, though this time it was more sheepish. “The cute Junior boy who joined our club last month asked me the day before I went dress shopping with Kai. I wasn’t planning on all this in the beginning, but then I saw Kai try on that dress, and I knew you were going to be too stubborn to ever sit down and talk with him properly about your feelings, so I thought I’d try to help things along.”

            “Carla, this was seriously a terrible idea,” Jess reproached unequivocally.

            “We’ll just have to see about that!” she countered, giving him another push in Kai’s direction. “Just go talk to him, ask him to dance! You know, he’s been waiting for you all evening~”

            Jess dug his heels in to resist her pushing, but even as he did, he couldn’t help but ask, “He has?”

            “Yep! I told him you were coming.” Carla gave him a wink. “He hasn’t stopped asking for you. I had to lie about going looking for my date when I spotted you come in. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise just yet. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really do have to actually go looking for my date! Go on, you’ll be fine! You two are going to enjoy yourselves, I just know it!”

            She gave him one last shove in Kai’s direction before giving him an encouraging wave and disappearing into the crowd, leaving Jess befuddled and uncertain how to proceed. Kai hadn’t spotted him yet from across the gym. If he turned around now, he could retreat and pretend he’d never been there, but then he’d be abandoning Kai when the merman needed him most. It was obvious that the mass of strangers was frightening the merman, if the way he held his hands clasped anxiously to his chest was any indication. Kai needed him right now; Jess’s own nervousness about the dance didn’t matter in comparison.

 _All I have to do is talk to him and take his mind off the crowd. We don’t even have to talk about feelings. It could be about anything!_ Jess swallowed nervously as he made his way towards the merman. He kept repeating that thought, scared that without it, he wouldn’t have the courage to keep from bolting himself. _Kai is more scared than I am right now. He needs me._

            The merman didn’t see him approach. His eyes were fixed apprehensively on the trio of gossiping girls who were walking towards him on their way to the restrooms. Kai inched in the opposite direction, trying to keep as much space between them and himself as he could without drawing attention to the fact. Jess stopped a few feet shy of him, not wanting to startle the merman by suddenly appearing at his side. When Kai looked around again to check his surroundings for other approaching strangers, his eyes widened when he caught sight of Jess, and he hurried towards him. Jess smiled and met him halfway.

            “You’re here!” Kai exclaimed, smiling with such relief that Jess felt a pang of guilt for not catching on to Carla’s schemes and arriving sooner.

            “Sorry to keep you waiting,” he replied with an apologetic smile in return. “Have you been here long?”

            “Only for an hour or so,” Kai explained with a light shake of his head. “It felt longer than that at the time. There are so many people!”

            His eyes were wide with a hint of apprehension as he glanced out over the crowd of less than a hundred students. Jess smiled sympathetically. If Kai thought _this_ was many people, then what would he make of seeing the entire school of just over a thousand students gathered in that same space for an assembly?

            “What did you do over at Carla’s house?” Jess asked to distract the merman from the crowd.

            “We ate a light supper and got dressed,” Kai said, smiling as he added, “I met Carla’s father while I was there. I liked him. He told me to call him Kent since I’m part of your family now.”

            “He’s a nice guy,” Jess agreed.

            The conversation lapsed into silence while they both shuffled awkwardly, standing close but not quite touching. Jess kept trying to think of something else to talk about to fill the gap, but nothing came to mind except for Carla’s earlier suggestion. If ever there was a right moment to confess his feelings to Kai, this could be it.

            Bracing himself, Jess opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. His heart beat wildly in panic for a second. _What am I doing? What do I even say to him? I want him to know, but what if Carla’s wrong about him? What if he doesn’t feel the same?_

            Jess was torn for a moment, agonizing over all the ways this could go wrong. Kai always seemed so happy to see him, but Kai was like that with everyone he knew. He treated everyone like he was overjoyed to have them in his life, maybe because he’d spent so many years without _anyone_ in his life. Kai had kissed him on the cheek twice as a sign of gratitude, but that was not unheard of. It was uncommon nowadays, but who’s to say that that wasn’t the norm when he was human? There was so much about Kai and the world he came from that Jess didn’t know. Wasn’t it possible that he was just misinterpreting the gratitude of a lonely boy as possible evidence that Kai liked him as more than a friend?

            As he was deliberating, the song coming from the gym’s speakers overhead changed to one of the classical compositions that Carla had played on her smartphone while teaching him to waltz. Eagerly students flocked to the dancefloor, pairing up to dance. Kai watched the proceedings with a wistful longing in his eyes. At that moment, Jess made up his mind and cleared his throat, turning to offer the merman his hand.

            “Would you like to dance?” he asked, because at that moment, he knew how he felt about Kai, and regardless of Kai’s feelings towards him, he wanted the merman to be happy.

            Kai turned to him, his expression bright and hopeful as he reached out to take Jess’s hand, but his hand faltered over Jess’s at the last moment.

            “There are so _many_ people,” he repeated, casting another apprehensive glance out over the crowded dancefloor as his face fell. His hand hung in the air just inches from Jess’s.

            “We don’t have to go over there,” Jess pointed out. He reached out the rest of the way to take Kai’s hand in his own. “We can dance right here, if you want.”

            Kai turned towards him again, smiling such a radiant smile of surprise and delight that Jess nearly felt dazed by it. The merman took a step closer and placed his other hand on Jess’s shoulder, and Jess was gratified to see that Kai’s cheeks had a rosy hue to them. It made him feel less embarrassed about the burning in his own cheeks when he placed his hand on the small of Kai’s back.

            Jess’s first steps were faltering as they started out. In the rush of nerves, he’d all but forgotten the pattern of footwork Carla had been drilling into him these past two weeks. His one saving grace was Kai. The merman was a slow and patient partner, gently helping him to find the rhythm and his step. Their movements smoothed like rainwater finding its way into a worn streambed, allowing Jess to focus less on his footwork and more on Kai. With a breath he raised his arm to twirl the merman, who spun as effortlessly as petals caught up in a whirlpool on the water’s surface before seamlessly returning to his waiting arms. The dancing came easier after that.

            “This reminds me of when I was younger,” Kai hummed as they moved together.

            “Oh?” Jess asked, his curiosity piqued. “Did you used to dance like this? Back during–” he fumbled for the right word–“before?”

            “A little,” Kai admitted. “We had a dance tutor that would come teach my cousin and me how to waltz. My father wanted us to dance with and entertain the merchants’ daughters during the events he’d host with the company’s clients, but neither of us made very good dance partners…”

            “Why not? I think you dance really well,” Jess said.

            Kai glanced away demurely, a faint blush in his cheeks. “You’ve probably noticed I’m not the most assertive dancer… The boy is the one who’s supposed to lead the dance, but I don’t like to push. I always preferred to let my cousin take the lead when our tutor had us practice together. He was a beautiful dancer, but he refused to dance with anyone at the events, not even his own mother when the occasion called for it. The only person he’d ever dance with was me.”

            Jess pursed his lips. As a rule he tried to avoid asking Kai too many questions about his family or his childhood, afraid of that glazed over look of pain in his eyes and knowing how easily the merman could fall apart when pressed, but his curiosity was getting the better of him.

            “What was your cousin’s name?” he asked gently.

            Kai was quiet for a long moment before softly murmuring a name that Jess strained to make out above the music. He thought it sounded like ‘Ian’ or ‘Keegan’ or, absurdly, ‘Demon.’ That look of grief was surfacing in Kai’s face though, so rather than ask him to repeat himself, Jess resolved to try looking through that book Carla had loaned him later. He didn’t want to add to the merman’s pain unnecessarily right now.

            They didn’t speak again as they danced, but at this point the music had picked up its pace as it approached its climax, and Jess needed to focus all his attention on his feet to keep up. The song ended with an abrupt flourish, and he held out his arm to twirl Kai in time with the crescendo. With Kai still held out at arm’s length from him, Jess made a formal bow over the merman’s hand the way Carla had taught him, and Kai curtsied in return before Jess pulled him back into his arms for the next dance.

            The next song that played though wasn’t one of the classical pieces for waltzing to. Instead, it was a much more modern piece, a soft rock song with a slow beat that was too soft for anything but the close and gentle swaying that only couples did. Jess blushed, brightly aware of his hand on the merman’s back.

            “D-Did you still wanna dance? T-This isn’t really a song for waltzing to,” he mumbled, trying and probably failing to hide his embarrassment.

            Kai was peering up at him carefully, and Jess got the distinct impression that the merman was trying to read his thoughts. He swallowed nervously.

            “We don’t have to waltz,” Kai pointed out softly. “We can dance the way everyone else is doing.”

            “I don’t know any other way to dance,” Jess confessed.

            “It’s not that hard.” The merman took the hand he’d been holding Jess’s with and moved it to his other shoulder, leaving Jess’s now free hand hanging uncertainly in empty space. Kai tilted his head so that he was peering up at Jess through his lashes. “Just put your arms around me.”

            Blushing even more, Jess did as he was told. He tried to keep his hands at a respectful place high on Kai’s back, but as they began swaying to the beat, his hands slid lower until they came to rest naturally at the crook of Kai’s waist. Kai didn’t object. On the contrary, the merman leaned in closer until his cheek was resting on one of Jess’s shoulders. He was so close that Jess could smell the scent of his shampoo – lavender, Jess remembered Kai saying it was his favorite – and beneath that, the barest hint of the saltwater spray of the ocean.

            This was comfortable. More than that, it felt right to Jess. They weren’t a couple – they weren’t even dating – but this was a taste of what they could be, if Jess just told him how he felt. As they swayed to the rhythm, Jess found himself wanting that more and more. Did Kai want him though? Jess might not have been so sure, but Carla seemed to think so, and she’d gone to great lengths to make Jess believe that as well. Even if she was wrong about Kai, she was right about this: Jess did have feelings for the merman, and he needed to tell him.

            But not here. There were too many people, and the music was too loud. What they needed was a quiet moment alone together. The song had ended, and the next song to come on was some techno beat song with a fast pace that neither of them could dance to. Jess caught the merman’s eye.

            “Do you wanna get out of here?” he asked softly.

            “Ok,” Kai agreed with a shy smile.

            Smiling back, Jess disengaged from the merman and took his hand, leading them to the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this sweet chapterful of fluff to celebrate! Feel free to imagine whatever songs you like playing for this one. Personally I pictured them slow dancing to the song "True" by the Cary Brothers (yeah, I know, very corny and early-2000's cliche, so sue me XP), but that's just me ;3 What do you think they were dancing to?
> 
> Also, for those curious (or in case I failed to do a good job of describing Kai's dress with Jess's limited fashion vocabulary), you can see it pictured here in this fabulous drawing by my dear friend, Arianwen44: http://arianwen44.tumblr.com/post/131466144264/okay-these-started-out-as-dress-doodles-and-i
> 
> Next chapter will be up on March 24th. See you then!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter contains mentions of blood and violent acts. Please proceed with care.

            The car ride home was filled with silence. Jess kept his eyes and his attention fixed on the road and didn’t dare speak to the merman sitting in the passenger seat beside him for fear of becoming dangerously distracted, but he wished he could say something. He longed to tell Kai how he felt about him, but getting them home safely was more important right now.

            The sound of the garage door opening punctuated the silence as they pulled into the driveway. As they climbed out of the car, Jess’s eyes met Kai’s. This might be his chance to say something! He opened his mouth, then closed it, at a loss for words. Where was he supposed to begin? Carla had told him that these things were too delicate to be blurted out thoughtlessly, but she’d never told him how to start the conversation when the time came for it.

            As if sensing his internal struggle, Kai paused and smiled at him, making Jess’s heart beat faster in the process, before turning to enter the house. The moment was rapidly slipping through Jess’s fingers, and he could do nothing but watch as Kai opened the door and stepped inside and out of sight. The sheer weight of his disappointment was so strong that for a moment Jess nearly sagged under it, leaning against the car door for support. A moment later, Kai appeared in the doorway again, frowning at him with concern.

            “Are you coming in?” the merman asked.

            “Uh, yeah.” Jess’s words came out raspy, as if he had something caught in his throat. “I just needed a moment.”

            The frown on Kai’s face deepened, but he didn’t press, and for that Jess was grateful. He forced himself to stand upright and walk into the house, though every step he took felt like he was wading through gelatin.

            The hallway was bright from the light overhead, but beyond that, the rest of the house was dark and quiet, save for the muted flickering of light and sounds from the TV. Jess heard the creak of one of the sofas as someone stood up, and a moment later, his father was coming around the corner to meet them.

            “I was wondering when you both would arrive,” John said by way of greeting. “Did you enjoy your time at the dance? My, Kai, that dress is lovely on you!”

            “Thank you,” Kai murmured, bobbing in a slight curtsy. His cheeks flushed as if the gesture made him self-conscious.

            “The dance was ok, but I don’t think it was really our sort of thing,” Jess put in.

            “I suppose that explains why you’re home so early,” John chuckled. “Not that I mind, of course. I was expecting to stay up far later than this waiting to see that you got home safely. It’s late enough as it is though, and if the two of you will allow me to get my camera so that I can take pictures of you two, I think I’ll be heading to bed after I do so.”

            They waited patiently in the hallway while John retrieved his digital camera from upstairs. It was a strange experience to pose for pictures as if they were a pair of ordinary teenagers about to head off to their high school prom. Some of the pictures were almost embarrassing as John instructed them to pose with their arms around each other. They could easily be mistaken for a couple like this, and yet as Jess held Kai close while the two of them smiled for the camera, he wished that was the case.

            “Now, I know that traditionally parents take these photos _before_ the dance,” John was saying as he stopped to inspect the pictures he’d snapped, “but we didn’t have the chance to do so earlier, and we’re not the most traditional sort of family to begin with. It’s a shame we can’t get Carla in here, but these will do nicely all the same. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to retire for the evening, and I suggest you do the same. We’ve got a big event to celebrate tomorrow.”

            He winked at them knowingly before bidding them a last goodnight, which they returned in kind. Left to their own devices, Jess was just about to follow his father’s lead when a pull on his sleeve stopped him. He turned curiously to Kai, who cast his eyes away shyly.

            “Before you go,” the merman said softly, a hint of color rising in his cheeks, “can you help me out of my dress?”

            A million thoughts and implications raced through Jess’s head at once, but he kept them at bay long enough to squeak out a confused, “What?”

            “This dresss is hard to get into and out of on my own,” Kai explained, and Jess was trying very hard to deny to himself that the merman seemed just as flustered as he was. “Carla had to help me secure all the fastenings when we were getting ready for the dance, but now I’ve no idea how to take them apart on my own so that I can take it off.”

            “Oh!” Jess breathed a sigh of relief – he tried to ignore any other emotions that might accompany it – and said, “I think I can help with that much at least.”

            Kai gave him a grateful smile before turning and pushing open the door to his room. He went to the bed and sat down upon it, indicating that Jess should do the same. Once Jess was beside him, Kai turned his back to him and swept aside his long locks of ebony hair so that Jess could see the dress’s fastenings. The dress was laced together up the back with a crisscrossing black ribbon tied into a bow. Jess tugged upon the tails of the ribbon until it came undone and unlaced it to find that a zipper held the dress together beneath.

            “Is that all you needed?” Jess breathed, starkly aware of the quiet in the room.

            “Could you undo the zipper as well?” Kai asked, fidgeting in such a way that drew Jess’s attention to the merman’s hips. “I can’t seem to work the zipper without getting it snagged on something.”

            Sucking in a breath, Jess found the teardrop-shaped zipper pull at the top of the garment and began to unzip it. The task seemed to take longer than it should, and Jess had to stop and backtrack by a few inches when the zipper became caught on one of the layers of fabric. Bit by bit though, a wedge opened up in the back of the dress, revealing pale skin beneath. Kai was always so pale, as if the light and warmth of the sun hardly ever touched his skin. Idly Jess wondered if that meant it would be cool to the touch.

            When finally the zipper would unzip no further, Jess took his hands away and murmured, “It’s finished.”

            “Thank you,” Kai murmured back, turning around to face him again.

            Silence filled the gap once more, and Jess found himself fidgeting with his hands in his lap. This was the moment he’d been waiting for, but what exactly was he supposed to say? What words did he have to tell Kai how he felt about him?

            “Did you enjoy the dance?” he asked instead, because talking about something was better than silence right now, and it might give him a chance to transition into the topic he really wanted to discuss.

            “Oh yes,” Kai replied, smiling warmly. “I wasn’t sure I would at first, and I almost decided to ask Carla to take me home a few times, but Carla promised me that you’d be there. And then, you were.”

            Kai smiled at him with such warmth and gratitude that it was as if he’d been given some great and precious treasure, and Jess wanted to squirm under its brilliance, feeling unworthy of such a smile. All he’d done was show up – albeit reluctantly – and he told the merman so.

            “It still meant so much to me,” Kai continued. “With you there, I didn’t feel as nervous being around so many people. And then when we were dancing, I was so happy that I forgot why I was nervous to begin with. I felt safe.”

            For a moment, Jess basked in those words. He had succeeded in making Kai feel at ease in the midst of a crowd, even if it was only for a few moments. He viewed that as a monumental step towards helping Kai overcome his fear of strangers, a goal which he wanted just as much as Kai himself did. That was an achievement to him, and more than that, it was a sign of the deep trust the merman had in him. That made the whole experience worth it.

            “What about you?” Kai inclined his head towards Jess. “Did you enjoy the dance?”

            “More than I thought I would,” Jess admitted, cracking a small smile. “I didn’t expect to enjoy it at all. I’ve never really liked big social events like that, especially when there’s dancing involved. I probably wouldn’t have gone at all if Carla wasn’t making me go. But you–”

            Jess hesitated, caught for a moment in Kai’s eyes. The merman was staring up at him through his lashes, and from this close, he could see all the different shades of purple in them, from threads of soft lavender to a deeper violet along the outer rims. The pattern was so striking that Jess felt like he could stare into them forever, losing himself in trying to decipher their depths.

            “You made it enjoyable,” he finished rather lamely, wishing he could have expressed himself as eloquently as Kai had.

            The silence returned then, still awkward and tense with the words he had left unsaid. What those words were, he wished he knew. He fidgeted with his hands in his lap again, trying to think of a way to bring up the conversation of his feelings. There was a slight shifting of weight on the bed beside him, and when Jess looked up, Kai was leaning in close to him. Without a word, Kai pressed his lips to Jess’s.

            Jess froze in surprise. He’d been caught off guard and didn’t know how to process what was happening. All too soon, Kai’s lips left his, and the merman’s eyes darted over his face, studying what he saw there. Whatever he was looking for, he must not have found, for he drew back from Jess and dropped his gaze to the floor.

            “I’m sorry,” Kai murmured, face flushed with shame. “I made a mistake. You can leave now, if you wish.”

            Leave? Jess didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay and comfort the merman, to tell him that he wasn’t mistaken at all and that he wanted this too. Words though were funny, convoluted things that Jess didn’t have mastery over, and so instead he leaned in towards the merman.

            “Kai,” he breathed and watched the merman’s face turn back to his. On it, he thought he could make out all the same longing and conflict he’d been suffering from for so long now but hadn’t been able to voice.

            Just as Kai had done, he brought their lips together. It took only a second for the merman to respond, kissing back. This kiss was short like the first, but the next kiss was longer. And the next. And the next.

            They shifted on the bed as they kissed, shuffling closer to close the distance. Kai’s arms went around Jess’s shoulders, drawing him in even closer for the next kiss. When the merman’s lips parted invitingly against his, Jess allowed his tongue to dip experimentally into Kai’s waiting mouth. The little noise of pleasure that earned him from Kai sent a thrill of delight through him, and he brought the hand he wasn’t using for balance to the merman’s waist, gripping firmly. The noise deepened into a moan.

            A sudden knock sounded at the door, making Jess jump and go rigid. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his face still hovered just inches from Kai’s.

            “Boys, I forgot to mention there’s some leftover soup in the fridge for you if you’re hungry.” John Azure’s voice came drifting through the door.

            For a moment, Jess was too startled to say or do anything. It took him a few seconds to realize that his father was waiting for a response.

            “O-Ok, Dad. Thanks,” he forced himself to call out.

            There was a pause from the other side of the door before his father said, “Don’t stay up too late now. Goodnight.”

            Jess sat tense, straining to hear the sound of his father’s footsteps retreating down the hall. After a heartbeat of silence, he allowed himself to relax. That had been a close call. Had they been in Jess’s room instead of Kai’s, his father might have just opened the door without knocking first. Privacy had never been a huge concern for Jess before, but he didn’t exactly want his father to walk in on him kissing Kai. It wasn’t that he feared what his father might think of such a sight; Jess had only just come to realize his feelings for the merman, and he wasn’t ready to start broadcasting them to anyone else.

            This was all happening so fast… He hadn’t even really told Kai yet how he felt about him, and they had already moved on to kissing, and quite amorously so. Jess wasn’t sure how such matters of romance were supposed to work, but this didn’t seem right to him. Kai was looking up at him, his face flushed and his eyes half-lidded. His lips were parted slightly as he caught his breath. It would be so easy to just lean in and reclaim his lips again… But no. They needed to talk over what it was they were feeling first, and just then Jess wasn’t sure he was actually ready for that conversation.

            “I should go,” he whispered softly into the space between them.

            “Oh…” He couldn’t miss the thick tone of disappointment in Kai’s voice.

            Biting his lip, Jess leaned in to give the merman one last peck upon the lips before murmuring, “I need some time to think things over. We’ll talk about it tomorrow?”

            Kai murmured his assent, though the merman still seemed upset. He wished there was something he could say or do to comfort Kai and reassure him that all he really needed was time to put his thoughts together and consider where this might lead, but talking about feelings had never been a specialty of his, and this was coming dangerously close…

            Giving the merman one last reassuring smile, Jess got up from the bed and made his way out of the room. He avoided eye contact with Kai as he closed the bedroom door with a soft _click,_ but he could imagine the mix of confusion and dejection that he would find there. Part of him hated himself for making Kai feel that way, but he knew he owed it to the merman and to himself to sit down and have a real conversation about their feelings and how that would change things between them going forward.

            He asked himself what it was he really wanted as he climbed the stairs. The answer to that was simple: he wanted Kai to be happy. He wanted to be with Kai and to love him and care for him, and if Kai wanted him in return, then he would be more than happy to be with the merman. If Kai didn’t want that though, then he could be satisfied just being the merman’s friend. What mattered most to him was the merman’s happiness, and Jess could be happy fulfilling whatever role the merman wanted him to – though he hoped Kai wanted to be with him just as much as he did.

            Knowing what he wanted and what he hoped for was the easy part. The hard part would be trying to find the words to convey all of that to Kai. Jess tried to imagine a scenario in which he told the merman everything, trying out a few different lines in his head, but nothing quite worked for him. Long speeches, convoluted wordplay, and obnoxious pickup lines just weren’t his style. It all came back to just telling him directly, plain and simple. Carla had told him that these things were too delicate to be said bluntly, but Jess didn’t see any other way. To him, it felt like no other approach would allow him to be honest with his feelings.

            Jess flopped down on his own bed, grateful to have a moment to himself. His head was spinning after the night he’d just had. Right now, all he wanted to do was unwind. His thoughts were so full of Kai that it was hard to think of anything else, but another thought did present itself: during the dance he’d asked Kai about his cousin, and the merman had told him his name, but Jess hadn’t been able to hear him properly. Maybe the book Carla had loaned him could tell him more. He pulled it out from under his pillow and flipped it open to begin reading.

  _Many still regard Everett and Stephan Vanier as two of the most successful and influential entrepreneurs in history considering the speed with which they grew their company and its ongoing reputation as one of the leaders in the shipping industry to this day, but the company suffered a major period of decline some thirty years after its inception. This is attributed to the devastating loss of Everett Vanier’s son. Not much is known about what happened to the boy, but records show he was reported missing shortly before his sixteenth birthday. Speculations of what happened to him at the time ranged from the boy running away to being kidnapped, and later, rumors emerged that he was murdered by his uncle. Regardless of the truth, the case was never solved._

_Following his son’s disappearance, Everett Vanier’s involvement in the company declined, leaving Stephan to take over the functions of the company’s public representative, a change which was not looked upon with favor by their clients. Many merchants’ accounts from that time portrayed Stephan Vanier as being coarse and brusque with no patience for hosting the numerous social functions his brother had used to nurture good relations with their clients, and the company’s reputation diminished as a result._

_Gradually though, the company’s reputation began to rebound as Stephan transitioned his, son Dein Vanier, into the role of his business partner. Like his father, Dein was known to be a private man, but his unflappable composure and his eloquence with words gave him the appeal that his father lacked. In addition to this, Dein had a knack for identifying new markets and how to reach them. Under his guidance, the company began to flourish again._

_Just when the company was starting to regain its former level of prestige though, tragedy struck the Vanier family. On the morning of September 23rd, 1897, New Falen police were summoned to the family estate to investigate the distraught claims of one of the household servants. Upon investigation, the police were confronted with the grizzly scene of a quadruple homicide. The event, which would become known as the Vanier Massacre, was believed to have been an attempted ritualistic occult sacrifice performed by Stephan Vanier after numerous occult artifacts were unearthed in his study and the supporting account of the event given by the sole surviving witness, his son Dein._

            Jess blinked in disbelief. His eyes skimmed over the pages again, looking for more information, but the book only continued on to talk about the ways that Dein’s position as sole head of the company would change the way the company did business going forward and would continue to influence its operations to this day. There was no other mention of the terrible event.

            Frustrated, he put the book away and brought out his laptop to search for more answers on the internet. Typing in the term ‘Vanier Massacre’ brought up a wealth of articles on the subject, and Jess read through them with increasing horror. One article described details from the police’s official investigation, how they found Dein Vanier standing over the body of his father with a stone statuette in his hand and ruled that the man’s death had been caused by blunt force trauma inflicted in self-defense. Another gave an account from the maid who’d run to get help, how she raved about blood-soaked demons and black magic.

            One particularly disturbing article had a collection of grainy, black-and-white photos of the bathroom where it happened: the bodies of Everett, Marianna, and Edith Vanier – Kai’s father, mother, and aunt – all lined up against a wall post-mortem, their heads lolling over slit throats; the large spatters of blood leading into the bathroom where it happened, culminating at the porcelain tub in its center; the tub itself, filled with the blood of the exsanguinated victims and surrounded by ominous paintings…

            All around the tub had been painted ring upon ring of strange symbols and words. In some areas, the text had been smeared or obscured so that it was no longer legible, but what remained that could be read had the feel of a dark ritual to it. Here and there, words stuck out like ‘transcend,’ ‘humanity,’ ‘eternity,’ and ‘sacrifice.’ Everything about the picture sent a chill down Jess’s spine.

            It was a horror to behold, and more sickening still was the realization that Kai couldn’t possibly know what had happened to his family. The events of the Vanier Massacre had taken place nearly ten years after his transformation into a merman, and Kai had said he’d never returned home or had contact with his family since then. Jess knew that Kai already knew his family had passed away long ago – it was the natural assumption to make after the passage of more than a hundred years – but what would the merman say if he knew the grizzly specifics of their deaths? He would be devastated, of that Jess was sure.

            But where exactly did that leave Jess with the information? Was he supposed to hide it from the merman forever? Kai was learning more and more about modern technology with every passing day, and soon he’d be able to find that information all on his own. Just typing in ‘New Falen Shipping Co.’ into a search engine brought up a wealth of information about the Vanier family, and somewhere buried in there was the truth. It wouldn’t take much digging to uncover it, and censorship was hardly an option. Even if Jess could prevent Kai from discovering the truth on the internet, there were still books on the subject.

_Imagine how he’ll feel if he finds out by reading it in some textbook or an online magazine…_ The thought of learning about his own mother’s death in such a way was sickening; someone as sensitive as Kai should never have to learn about the deaths of his loved ones from some article that sensationalized every detail for publicity’s sake.

            The kindest thing to do would be to tell Kai himself, Jess realized. It would not be an easy conversation to have, but he could soften the blow. Nothing he could say would change the facts of what had happened, but he could break the news to Kai gently, and he could be there to comfort the merman and to help him heal from it. After all, that was what one did for someone they loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! This marks the end of Act 2 in IDTD's 3-Act plot. It's all been pretty smooth sailing so far, but there's a storm brewing on the horizon ;3 Get ready. I'll see you back here on April 14th for the next installment!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up, guys. It's gonna be a bumpy ride...

            Jess woke the next morning feeling as if the weight of the world had come crashing down upon him. He lay sprawled in bed without any desire to move, wishing that time would cease its constant march forwards. Maybe if he could rewind the clock and go back to the previous night, he could have stopped himself from picking up that book. Now that he knew the truth, he had an obligation to share it, though he wished otherwise.

            Sighing, Jess rolled over and got out of bed. There was only so long he could get away with moping in bed all day, especially on a Saturday like this. Saturdays were normally supposed to be about freedom and relaxation, not the crushing responsibility of having to tell Kai about the murder of his family. Life just wasn’t fair that way…

            Before that though, Jess wanted to take a shower. Maybe the warmth and steam would clear his mind a bit and help him get his thoughts in order before he had to face Kai. When he opened his bedroom door though, he was startled to see Kai standing there, his hand poised in the air to knock. The merman blinked, equally surprised by his sudden appearance.

            “Kai! W-what brings you here?” Jess blurted, almost alarmed. He wasn’t prepared to see Kai yet, let alone speak with him.

            “Your father wanted me to make sure that you were awake.” The merman cocked his head slightly and peered searchingly up at Jess, as if he were trying to discern something from Jess’s face. There was a guarded quality in his eyes, as if he were trying to hold himself back from hoping for something – or maybe that was suspicion, as if he knew that Jess was hiding something from him. “He says we have a lot planned for today, so it’s best if you wake up early.”

            “I am awake,” Jess said evasively. He wanted to squirm under Kai’s gaze, disconcerted. If this went on for much longer, he might be compelled to just blurt out what he’d discovered to the merman then and there. That was not how he wanted the truth to come out though. Such things needed to be handled with great care.

            “I was just heading to take a shower, actually,” he continued, pointing with his thumb towards the bathroom.

            Kai’s eyes searched his face for a moment longer, then fell. In spite of his guardedness, the merman looked resigned like he had just lost the last bit of hope he’d had.

            “I’ll leave you to it,” he murmured and started to turn away.

            An unexpected surge of panic hit Jess, and he reached out quickly, grabbing hold of the merman’s wrist.

            “Kai, I really need to talk to you!” he said in a rush.

            The merman turned back to him, eyes wide and bright with rekindled hope. Jess bit his lip, suddenly reminded of the conversation – or lack thereof – from last night. He’d promised they’d talk things over in the morning. This must have been what Kai had been waiting for.

            “It’s not about last night,” he said, and then quickly explained as Kai’s face fell again, “We can still talk about that – after, if you still want to – but this is really important, and I think it should come first.”

            “What is it?” Kai asked, his face registering surprise and confusion.

            Jess bit his lip again. “Later. I can’t tell you right now. It has to be when we have a moment alone to sit down and talk.”

            Kai frowned at this, but he nodded acquiescence. Jess would have smiled at him, but the knowledge that he had to share with Kai was too dark for that. Instead he let his hand slide down Kai’s wrist until their fingers intertwined, and he gave Kai’s hand a brief squeeze.

            “We’ll talk later,” he promised softly.

            “Ok,” Kai breathed in reply.

            Jess held Kai’s hand for a moment longer before they broke apart and went their separate ways, Kai heading back downstairs and Jess to the bathroom. The shower didn’t do much to lift his mood, but it did give Jess the chance to think. He’d decided that he was going to keep the details of the Vanier Massacre to a minimum. There was no need to torment Kai with the specifics of exactly how and why his family had been killed. The knowledge that his uncle had been responsible for their deaths was heavy enough without detailing the scene of the crime. If Kai asked why he’d done it, then Jess would mention how the authorities believed he’d been performing some sort of occult ritual. Perhaps Kai already knew about his uncle’s affinity for the occult and would accept it at that.

_Now I just need to get a moment alone with him..._ Jess thought. He dried his hair off before wrapping his towel around his waist and returning to his room. As he got dressed, he heard the buzz of his phone vibrating. Curious, he pulled on his favorite orange t-shirt and picked up the phone. There was a new text message in his inbox, from Aussie of all people.

_“Hi Jess. There are some dolphins in the bay by the docks that I think Kai would be interested in seeing. You should bring him here to see them.”_

            Jess blinked in bemusement as he read the text. It wasn’t like Aussie to reach out to him, and when he did, there were usually more exclamation marks in his messages. But if Aussie was down by the docks right now, then he was likely at his job and couldn’t text the way he usually did. Either way, he was interested in seeing those dolphins himself, as dolphins in Fogwood Bay were a rare occurrence, and it would give him the chance to be alone with Kai.

            With that in mind, he made his way downstairs. He found Kai in the kitchen with his father. The two of them looked like they were just preparing to start cooking breakfast and had an array of mixing bowls, utensils, and ingredients spread out on the countertops. Among the ingredients though was a distinctive red box of cake mix, and upon noticing this, Jess also became aware of the collection of brightly wrapped parcels piled atop the dining room table.

            “There’s the birthday boy!” John exclaimed heartily as Jess descended the stairs. His eyes twinkled as he added, “Or should I say, ‘birthday _man_ ’ now? Eighteen years old already, my goodness how the time flies! How does it feel to finally be an adult?”

            Jess was taken off guard. With everything that had been occupying his mind, he had nearly forgotten what day it was!

            “It feels just the same,” he replied, attempting to smile, albeit somewhat abashedly. “I don’t feel like an adult.”

            “It’s just a saying,” his father chuckled easily. “You won’t feel like you’re really an adult for some years yet. You’ve still got a lot of growing up to do.”

            “Happy birthday, Jess!” Kai put in brightly from the man’s other side.

            “Thanks,” Jess said, his smile warming.

            “Kai and I were just getting everything ready for your party later,” John explained as Jess joined them in the kitchen.

            “Geez, Dad, an actual birthday party? I’m eighteen, not eight,” Jess quipped, grinning in spite of his complaints.

            “Oh hush, it won’t be that sort of party,” his father tutted good-naturedly. “There’ll be no balloons and party games, if that’s what you’re worried about. It’s just a small gathering of close friends and family. We’re just going to have a late brunch and cake together and give you our gifts.”

            Jess arched a quizzical eyebrow. “Who all is coming?”

            “The Michaelsons, of course, though as I understand it, they’ll be staggering their arrivals as they’re all working at their respective jobs this morning,” John chuckled. “Oh, and your aunt will be joining us as well.”

            “Aunty Noelle?” Jess asked in surprise, pausing in the act of reaching for an orange from the fruit bowl. “She hasn’t been at one of my birthdays since…” His voice trailed off, a lump rising in his throat.

            “Yes, I know, but I spoke on the phone with her just the other night,” John explained gently, saving him the trouble of mentioning his mother’s accident. “She said she didn’t want to miss her nephew’s eighteenth birthday party, and she hasn’t gotten the chance to meet Kai yet.”

            “Ok...” Jess rolled the orange he’d grabbed absentmindedly between his hands, no longer hungry. The reminder of his mother’s death brought back to mind the terrible news he had to share with Kai, and he asked tentatively, “If the party’s not going to be until later, is it alright if Kai and I run down to the docks for a bit? Aussie texted and said he thought he saw some dolphins near there that we’d like to see.”

            “Well I suppose,” John mused. “I was just about to make the cake so that it’ll be cooled and frosted in time for the party, but I suppose that’s really a one-person job. Everything else can be prepared later, but I will need some help with the cooking, so don’t stay out too long. Oh, and leave the car. I’m going to need to make one last run to the store to buy more eggs.”

            “That’s fine,” Jess agreed easily, somewhat relieved. “We can walk there just fine.” He replaced the orange in the bowl and turned to Kai. “Shall we go?”

            The merman looked surprised by this sudden turn of events, but he nodded nonetheless. They said a brief goodbye to John, promising to keep the outing short before heading on their way.

            Outside, the air was pleasantly cool, though the light breeze that ruffled Kai’s short white dress carried a hint of the oncoming chill of winter. Up above, a fine layer of overcast blanketed the sky, leaving not a patch of blue to be seen, though the sun illuminated the entire layer of cloud cover with blindingly bright light. It was by Fogwood’s standards a beautiful autumnal day, and the worst the weather might throw at them was a fine misting of rain too light to really warrant the use of an umbrella.

            “Are we going to talk now about what it is that’s bothering you?” Kai asked quietly after they’d been walking side by side for several minutes in silence. By now they were walking along the main road through town. It was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday morning, with hardly a pedestrian to be seen and only the occasional car driving past on the road. It was quiet enough that Kai barely cringed when they passed near someone as they walked.

            “I was thinking we could talk about that once we got to the docks,” Jess hedged. He needed more time to think and gather his words together, and he wanted them to be in a place where Kai could take the news while sitting down. He knew this information was going to upset the merman, and he didn’t want him to stagger under the weight of it. It would be safest if they were somewhere quiet where Kai could sit and process what he was about to learn.

            “Will you at least tell me what it pertains to?” Kai pressed, his brow furrowing into a worried frown. “You seem so troubled by it.”

            Jess gritted his teeth, deliberating over whether and how much to tell the merman. Too much or too little of a hint could cause Kai to press for more answers, and that would unravel any hopes he had of breaking the news to the merman gently. At the same time though, the right hint could help Kai brace himself for what he was about to hear.

            Just as he was choosing what words to say on the subject though, something caught Jess’s attention. Up ahead of them, leaning against the corner of one of the buildings at the entrance of an alleyway, there was a man casually smoking a cigarette. He had short, dark, espresso brown hair that tended to curl at the nape of his neck and sharply defined facial features that were oddly familiar to Jess, except for the eyes, which were dark and watching their approach intently. Something about the intensity with which he stared at them made the hair on the back of Jess’s neck stand out, and he sidled closer to Kai until they almost bumped against each other as they walked.

            “Stay close to me,” he muttered tensely to Kai, who glanced up at him in confusion.

            “Is something wrong?” the merman asked.

            “I don’t know yet,” Jess said, “but I’ve got a bad feeling.”

            Kai didn’t say anything to that, pursing his lips and giving a slight nod of his head in response. They walked in silence past the alley, the man’s eyes tracking their every move. He didn’t make any move to intercept them as they passed, but somehow Jess felt that was worse. After walking a few feet past the alley in tense silence, his eyes glanced to the window of the building to his immediate right, and in the reflection on the glass’s surface, he could see that the man was following them from a short distance, too close for Jess to believe it to be a coincidence.

            “I don’t like this,” he muttered to Kai. “When I tell you to, get ready to run.”

            Kai responded with another short nod. They walked the length of another block while Jess did his best to scan the area for a possible escape route. There were no other pedestrians in sight, and surprisingly few cars driving past or parked along the sidewalks. It was as if the entire town was dead, leaving no one to witness or intervene on behalf of the two frightened teenagers being pursued by a stranger.

            Up ahead though, Jess saw something that gave him hope: there was a black town car parked in front of the alleyway beside the karaoke bar that looked like the sort that might be from a limousine or rental car service. The windows were tinted and too dark to see definitively if anyone was inside – though Jess thought he might have seen a dark shadow moving in the backseat – but he knew that the karaoke bar did host the occasional band night featuring local and up-and-coming musicians. If that was the case, there might be a band rehearsing inside the bar right now, and he and Kai could get help!

            “Ready?” Jess asked Kai. He reached for the merman’s hand and twined fingers with him. “Now!”

            With a shout, Jess ran forward with Kai keeping closely to his side. They could hear the sudden burst of pounding footsteps as their pursuer also broke into a run, but the karaoke bar was near and they reached it first. Jess grabbed for the door with his one free hand and rattled it, but it refused to open! The footsteps were growing louder as the man neared, and in a burst of panic, Jess dragged Kai by their intertwined hands into the adjoining alley to flee.

            They were met by a chain-link fence.

            “No!” Jess shouted in disbelief. He had forgotten about the fence!

            Whirling back around, Jess was about to lead them back out of the alley, but the man was already there, blocking their only escape route. Now they were trapped with the fence at their backs. Jess pushed Kai behind him protectively, bracing himself for a fight.

            “What do you want from us?!” he demanded. “Is this a robbery? Because I don’t have my wallet, and all I’ve got on me is my crappy flip phone! Leave us alone!”

            The man didn’t answer. He just advanced on them slowly. Up close, it was hard to believe that he would be trying to rob anybody. The clothes he wore could only be described as business professional attire, black slacks and a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up into cuffs around his elbows. His hair was clean and slicked back from his face, and his strongly defined jawline showed only a faint stubble from having been recently shaved. His overall appearance was neat and clean, that of a man who had the resources and the means to care for himself and to do it well, not at all what Jess would expect from a potential mugger. That only made Jess more nervous. If he wasn’t trying to rob them, then what other reasons would he have for pursuing them?

            Jess backed away as far as he could from the man, herding Kai behind him until they were both pressed into a corner between the brick building and the fence. He felt like a trapped animal, cornered with nowhere to go. Well, if that was what this man wanted, then he was about to find out that Jess could put up one hell of a fight when his back was up against the wall. His hands balled into fists at his sides, all his attention on the man approaching.

            “I said leave us alone!” he shouted again, nearly shaking as adrenaline kicked in. Behind him he could hear Kai whimper in fear.

            The man stopped less than a foot from Jess. At this close range, Jess was forced to crane his head back to look into the man’s face. Unnervingly, he saw no emotion there, no hint of anything that might give him a clue as to the man’s motives or actions. Jess set his shoulders, preparing to lash out with his fists.

            “Sorry, kid,” the man said in a deep, gruff voice. “Just following orders.”

            An explosion of pain erupted in Jess’s gut, and he doubled over around the man’s fist, gasping as the wind was knocked out of him. He staggered, trying to catch himself against the rough brick surface of the building wall, but the shock and pain from the sucker punch made his knees buckle and give out. He slumped to the ground, gasping desperately for air as black spots swam over his vision.

            Distantly he was aware of Kai screaming as the man stepped over his prone form and grabbed the merman. He tried to move, to stop the  man from taking Kai, thrown over one shoulder and kicking and screaming the whole way as he was carried towards the waiting black town car with the shadowy figure of – Jess was sure of it now – another person waiting patiently inside, watching as the scene unfolded. Kai was screaming his name, reaching out to grab hold of Jess’s hand one last time. Jess had just enough energy left to reach out towards him in turn before his vision went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun!!
> 
> -coughs- Sorry, couldn't help myself :P Tell me what you guys think of this chapter! Who are these mysterious people, and what do they want with Kai? Can you guess? ;P What do you think will happen next? Tell me what you think, I am starving for comments!! Also, I encourage you to check out https://idancedtildusk.tumblr.com/ for more news, additional content (including a sneak peek at a portrait of one of our mysterious kidnappers ;3), and more!
> 
> Next chapter will be posted on May 16th! See you then!!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's MerMay guys, so let's celebrate with a chapter from our favorite merman's POV! ;3
> 
> Warning: this chapter contains mentions of blood and violence. Please proceed with care.

            Kai shrieked as the door of that ominous black car was thrown open and he was flung inside. He landed heavily against what felt like another person, but he didn’t care to look and instead scrambled up to yank frantically at the door handle, then pound at the tinted glass windows when that would not yield. The driver’s side door opened, and Kai whirled quickly to try and make his escape through it, but it was no use! A wall partitioned the front seats from the passenger carriage, with only a sliding glass window smaller than Kai’s head connecting the two spaces. He was trapped!

            “Who are you?!” he screamed, half maddened with fear. “What do you want with me?! Let me go!”

            “Shh, shh, shh, Kai, there’s no need for all that. You’re safe now~” came the soothing reply of a voice that sent a chill of recognition down Kai’s spine.

            Whirling again, Kai was confronted with the sight of a man that he would still have recognized if twice as many centuries had kept them apart. He had aged since Kai had last seen him, the soft, youthful curves of his face smoothing and hardening into sharp, angled lines and a hard-cut jaw as he’d matured into a young man. His hair was longer, slicked black and carefully groomed so that the raven locks framed his pale face. The crease in his brow had deepened, as if he had spent the last hundred years doing little else but scowling. And his eyes, once the same light, pale blue as Kai’s had been, were now a color too dark to discern in the dim light diffused through the dark tinted windows.

            For all that, the man sitting before him was unmistakable to Kai. All at once the merman was struck by a kaleidoscope of strong emotions – shock, amazement, disbelief, and shock again – for sitting in the seat right beside him was his long-lost cousin.

            “Dein,” Kai breathed, still hardly able to comprehend what he was seeing. “How are you– How–”

            “Shush~” Dein hushed him gently again, reaching out to place a finger against the merman’s lips. Kai flinched at the unexpectedly cold contact. “You are frightened and confused. Settle down now, and we will talk once we reach our destination.”

            It was all Kai could do to perch in tense silence at the edge of his seat. His mind was in a frenzy. How was Dein still alive? And what was he doing with the stranger who had kidnapped him and attacked Jess? How could they be safe when that man was still nearby, in the front seat of that very car? And what of Jess? They had left him back there, slumped in an unconscious heap in that alley. Surely Jess would come looking for Kai when he woke, but would he know where to find him? Kai had no idea where they were going to begin with.

            Minutes passed, and finally the car pulled to a stop among a group of large, nondescript buildings unlike any Kai had ever seen before. The buildings were old, built of weathered brick and cement, and giant, standing well over two stories tall and taking up large chunks of land with their rough, blocky shapes. The fronts of the buildings had tall, metal-paneled garage doors built for vehicles much larger than the cars Kai had grown accustomed to seeing, and the streets between them were wide and barren, save for the few piles of crates and barrels stacked tightly against the buildings’ sides.

            If this place was still in Fogwood, then it was in a part of the city that the merman had never seen before. If he managed to somehow escape when the car door opened, he feared that he would never find his way back home to Jess, doomed instead to wander around lost amongst these buildings until he was eventually recaptured. The one thing he knew for certain about this place was that it was close to the sea; he didn’t need the brief glimpses from between the buildings of a harbor full of boats to tell him that. The sea had an inexplicable pull to it that reached into the very blood of his veins, a faint humming beneath his skin that grew louder with proximity. If he could get away from his captors for just a moment, then that hum would lead him to the ocean where he could be free – but then how would he ever be able to return to Jess?

            The door behind him opened and closed while Kai stared out the window, and a moment later, Dein was holding Kai’s door open and offering the merman a hand to climb out with. Kai took it warily and allowed himself to be guided out of the vehicle. Behind his cousin, the man who had kidnapped him loomed close, wordlessly holding a large umbrella out over the two of them – in spite of the lack of rain. Kai cringed, shying away from the stranger and darting his eyes around wildly in search of an escape.

            “Peace, dear cousin~” Dein soothed, stroking the merman’s hand which he still held firmly clasped in his own. “This is my… associate. Do not fret~ He only does what he is told. No harm will come to you.”

            Kai didn’t say anything to that. If anything, Dein’s assurances raised even more red flags of concern. He distinctly recalled the man said something about following orders right before he had punched Jess in the stomach and abducted him. If Dein’s associate was only doing what he was told, then who was giving the orders?

            Mutely Kai allowed himself to be led – pulled, really, what with Dein’s firm grip on his hand never letting go – into one of the large buildings. Inside, it was dark, lit dimly by a series of fluorescent lamps hanging from the ceiling high overhead. There were windows from what he could see, but they had all been boarded up with only thin streams of light peeking in from the outside world. All around, pallets piled high with crates and other boxes were gathered, and Kai recognized the place as some kind of storage facility.

            Dein tugged on his hand and led him towards the back of the building, where a metal staircase took them up to the second floor. This floor wasn’t much more than an elevated platform that surveyed the entire facility floor below. Here and there, work desks with paperwork and computers were set about like a larger version of the home office Jess’s father had set up in his bedroom. On the far side of the platform though was a room, and Dein was leading him to it.

            Kai wasn’t sure what he’d expected when Dein opened the door of the room and motioned him inside, but it certainly was not what he found. The room was decorated like a lavish bedroom, with a well-appointed four-poster bed that reminded him of the one in his parents’ bedroom, along with a matching armoire and dresser set made of rich oak wood. The bed linens were a rich, dark red, matching the ornate rug that covered much of the solid concrete floors. The walls too were made of concrete, though these had been painted a soft, washed out white.

            The room was lit only by natural light that poured in from a single, southward-facing window. The glass of the window was thick and frosted, and the sunlight further diffused by a barrier of sheer curtains. Though the window was unbarred, it wouldn’t help much as an escape route. The window was high off the ground, and if Kai tried to slip out through it, he’d likely break his legs in the fall.

            What caught his attention though was the piece of furniture standing beneath the window. It was a decorative piece, a small, round table with a pair of matching chairs made of wrought-iron, the metal curved and woven into a unique scrollwork pattern that was one of a kind. Kai crossed the room to see it better, raising a hand to trace his fingers over the intricate, looping swirls. He recognized the pattern, his fingers finding every dip and curve hauntingly familiar. The shock of seeing this table again after so many years was visceral. He’d spent hours like this, tracing the swirling scrollwork with his fingers while sitting in his favorite corner of the garden, trying to find a moment of peace and meaning in his life.

            “Why have you brought me here?” he asked, his voice small and lost as he stared down at the table. In the deathly silence of the room, the question sounded more like a shout than a whisper.

            “To talk, of course,” Dein purred. He was beside Kai again, pulling out one of the chairs to sit in; its metal feet made a horrible scraping sound on the concrete floor.

            “Talk about _what?_ ” Kai demanded, suddenly angry. Jess did not have to be attacked and left beaten unconscious in some alleyway just for them to have the opportunity to _talk_.

            “Sit,” Dein said, gesturing with one hand to the other chair. His tone made it not an offer or a request, but an order.

            Stiffly, Kai pulled the chair out, making as little noise as he could while doing so. He sat upright and tense in the seat, just as he had done in the car, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. Dein frowned at him and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table, his fingers forming a steeple over which he studied the merman.

            “Do try to relax, dear Kai,” the man chided him with a faintly exasperated tone. “I understand that you’re upset, but you’re among family now. There’s no need to act so tense. Let me get a good look at you, after all this time.”

            Kai grit his teeth and remained steadfastly silent as Dein appraised him. His cousin was treating him like a child, despite he being the older of the two. Physically yes, Dein did appear to have surpassed him in age by several years now, but he had been two years Dein’s senior when he’d been human, and his lack of aging since hadn’t changed that.

            “Your eyes are different,” Dein commented, his mouth turning downwards with displeasure. “I don’t like it. We’ll look into getting you corrective surgery once we return home.”

            “Home?” Kai echoed incredulously. “To Falen? To our family’s manor?”

            “Of course.” Dein narrowed his eyes slightly. “You don’t expect us to keep living here in this sprawling dump of a town, do you? No, that won’t do. We’re returning to Falen at the end of the week. I’ve already arranged passage on a private ship–”

            “Who said I wanted to go home?” Kai interrupted. He was half-risen out of his seat, his hands clenched in the material of his dress.

            “Oh, but we must!” Dein insisted, heedless of the tight coils of tension that surrounded Kai. “My dearest cousin, I am going to put things _right_. We can live together in our house once more! We shall run the New Falen Shipping Company just as our fathers intended. Everything can be as it once was – only better!”

            “Nothing can be as it once was,” Kai stated flatly. He stood then and walked around the table to where Dein was sitting. Bringing his hands up to his cousin’s face, he tilted the man’s face back to look into his eyes and study what he saw there. “Dein… What have you done to yourself?”

            These were not the eyes he once knew. They were unlike any he had ever seen before. Their color was no longer the clear, pale blue that he remembered, but rather a dull crimson brown, the color of dried blood. Where once Kai could have read anything in his cousin’s eyes, they were now dark and unfathomable, with years of secrets hidden inside. Dein frowned up at him.

            “I searched for you, you know,” his cousin murmured, a hard edge in his voice. “Everyone else gave up less than a year since your disappearance. Your parents were devastated, appropriately so, but they didn’t do a thing once the authorities declared your case to be a lost cause and declined to pursue it further, and my parents, well… You know what kind of people my parents were.”

            Kai pursed his lips and nodded shortly. Edith Vanier was a vain, self-centered woman who cared very little for the people surrounding her, and her husband, Stephan, had been worse. He was short-tempered and demanded nothing short of perfection and obedience, from his house staff, his employees, and his son. He was the kind of man who turned to drink and belt when he was displeased.

            “I _never_ gave up on you,” Dein continued fiercely. “The authorities couldn’t find any evidence that you had been kidnapped, but I knew you would never run away – at least, not without me. We used to talk about doing that, remember? When the lesson plans were too strenuous or when my father beat me, we’d fantasize about it, slipping through the gates one night and running off to make our own lives together instead of the ones our fathers were raising us for, but I knew you never really had it in you to go through with it, and certainly not without me. You’d never leave me behind with our _family_.”

            The conviction and devotion in Dein’s voice was something Kai was well familiar with, though the particular disgust with which he spat out the word ‘family’ was new. It was no great secret that Dein had never really cared for his parents, but this level of animosity was new and clearly directed at both sides of their family, not just his own parents. Before he could ask what had brought it out, Dein was already speaking again.

            “I carried on searching for you for years. Every spare moment I had was spent down by the shore side. I felt if ever I was going to find some clue as to where you had gone, it would be by the sea. I know how you loved it so. And then I encountered that mer-witch.”

            Dein’s eyes flashed, and Kai felt the blood drain from his face, knowing exactly of whom his cousin spoke.

            “Did she turn you too?” he asked, tensed for the reply.

            “No,” Dein said, and Kai relaxed a fraction. “Not even when I demanded it of her. She spoke of you though, and she told me what she’d done – what she’d intended to do with you. She tried to… beguile me with her singing and her body.” A note of disgust entered Dein’s voice as he said this. “It did not work on me, but she managed to escape before I could avenge what had been done to you.”

            Shaken, Kai released Dein’s face and stumbled over to the bed. He leaned heavily against one of the bedposts, overwhelmed by a mixture of emotions.

            “How…” he choked out. “How can you still be here? You should be… You should be–”

            “Dead?” Dein finished for him, rising to join him. His cousin placed comforting hands upon the merman’s shoulders, though his hands were cold against Kai’s skin. “Well I’m not. I wouldn’t let a small matter such as my own mortality prevent me from finding you again. Still, that mer-witch was most unhelpful. I had to resort to… other measures.”

            A tight ball of queasiness was forming in the pit of Kai’s stomach, but he forced himself to ask, “What measures?”

            “You recall how our nanny used to tell us stories and folklore when we were small?” Dein asked conversationally, and Kai give a short nod in response. With how close the man was standing, Kai could feel his breath ghosting warmly against the back of his ear. “We thought they were just stories, but the ones about mermaids it turns out were true. I decided to investigate, to see which others might be true as well.”

            Kai shivered with growing horror but was silent as his cousin continued his tale.

            “During my investigations, I came across many books containing… dark secrets. Secrets about demons and black magic, Kai, things we could only _dream_ of. Secrets about how to live forever!”

            Dein’s voice had become reverent as he went on, as if he were speaking of a miracle from God. Suddenly his voice dropped to a quiet, somber tone, and he said, “But all things must come at a cost…”

            “And?” Kai asked tensely. Dread roiled in his stomach, but he had to know. “What cost, Dein?”

            “I found a book that contained instructions for a ritual,” Dein explained with chilling calmness. “A ritual that would grant me immortality. With it, I could search for you until the ends of eternity! But it required a sacrifice.”

_“What sacrifice, Dein?”_ Kai bit out. He was shaking now, a small quake spasming through his muscles, though whether from horror or anger or some other emotion, he could not tell. He tasted bile on the back of his tongue.

            “A sacrifice in two parts,” his cousin continued with as much feeling as if he were idly commenting upon the weather. “One part in humanity, and the other in blood. It required a ritual killing.”

            Kai’s heart stopped. “What did you do?”

            “What I had to,” Dein stated simply, bringing all his conviction to bear behind those cold, quiet words. “They had it coming, Kai. They deserved what they got. And not just my parents, no; anyone who could turn their backs on their child like he never existed deserved to die. Your parents should have loved you more.”

            “You murdered our entire family?” The words rose with pure, sickening horror upon his tongue, and Dein, perhaps sensing how very staggering this news was to Kai, guided the merman to sit down upon the bed with him.

            “It was a necessity,” his cousin explained, his voice steady as if he spoke of killing vermin instead of the people who raised him. “You see, the ritual requires that you give up your humanity by bathing in human blood. Only by embracing a life of blood can one truly transcend the limits of their own humanity in order to obtain immortality.”

            Dein stopped, and if Kai could have looked upon his face, he would have seen the smile there, dark and savage with a cynical irony. “The blood of the unfaithful and the unloving. Somehow I think they had less humanity to lose than I did.”

            This was too much for Kai to bear, and he leaned over the side of the bed and was violently ill. Dein said nothing, only rubbing the merman’s shoulders and pulling his hair back out of the way. When it was done and all there was left to gag on was his own horror, Kai let out a hoarse sob.

            “I want to go home.”

            “We will be going soon,” Dein assured him calmly. “I’ve already made the arrangements. In just another week we’ll be home again.”

            “No.” Kai was shaking his head. “No. I want to go _home,_ to Jess and his friends and his family. Please… Just let me go.”

            Dein was silent for a long moment; when he spoke at last, his voice carried the same deep and unquestionable tone that his father Stephan had used to convey his absolute authority over his son. It sent a chill up Kai’s spine to hear that tone in his cousin’s voice right beside his ear.

            “Those people mean _nothing._ They are human and cannot _possibly_ hope to understand you. I am your family, Kai. Your own flesh and blood. I am the only person who can ever see you for what you are and still love you. You belong with me.”

            Kai shivered and made to protest again, but before he could gather the words he needed, he felt Dein’s nose press to the space beneath his ear and inhale deeply. The sound that he made in the back of his throat wasn’t human, and Kai felt all the hairs rise on the back of his neck.

            “You smell… different than I remember.” The words came out like a half-whispered growl, and Kai held himself very still as his cousin made a peculiar nuzzling gesture along the column of his throat.

            “Different… but good.”

            Dein’s lips were against his skin now, mouthing at the spot above where his neck and shoulder met. Kai dared not speak, frozen with the same instinctual fear of prey at the approach of a predator. It was only now that he recalled the stories their nanny had told them when growing up. Belatedly he remembered that mermaids were not the only horrors that she had spoken of, and there had been another creature that he recalled now, one that looked like a man but had the unmistakable smile of a monster. One that fed upon human blood.

            “Sweet, even… like nectar… or candy.”

            Pain lanced through him as Dein drove his teeth into Kai’s neck. The merman cried out and tried to pull away, but his cousin’s hands which he had been using to rub gently at Kai’s shoulders were suddenly as hard and immovable as stones, holding him in place while Dein drank deeply from the blood of his veins. Kai knew a moment’s panic, stark as a bolt of lightning against the night sky as his body trembled and began to fail him, and then his world went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand cue the curtain fall!
> 
> Please, guys, please let me know what you think of this chapter, what your thoughts and reactions were throughout reading it, and what you think will happen next! This is a very important chapter, and I very much would like to know how you received it! This final act of the story runs at a very different pace than the previous acts, and I'm very nervous that I've messed up the build up to it in previous chapters and the pacing >.< Any commentary you wish to give would be vitally helpful to let me know if I'm on the right track or not, even if it's something simple like 'I did not see that coming' or 'this new character creeps me out.' The more descriptive, the better, of course, but I can learn a lot even from small comments like these ^^
> 
> One more thing: if you're not doing so already, I highly recommend following my IDTD-dedicated blog at http://idancedtildusk.tumblr.com/ in order to receive more I Danced Til Dusk content, including news, progress reports, character art, and more!
> 
> Next chapter will be posted on June 18th! See you then!!

**Author's Note:**

> Please, please let me know what you think, either by commenting on here or messaging me on tumblr at http://idancedtildusk.tumblr.com/! All feedback is welcome, though if you wish to send negative feedback, please include an explanation so that I can learn from it. See you next chapter!


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